Sinkers And Suds And Talks Of Old Loves
by whatcoloristhesky
Summary: The diner business was far from Sandy used to think it was. Taking place RIDICULOUSLY post-book, Sandy enlightens her sixteen year-old co-worker, Jamie, on her tale of love and deceit one particularly slow afternoon.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Soda Ain't Here is currently on hiatus. Who knows when it'll come off. Enjoy this in the meantime. It shouldn't be more than a few chapters I think.**

**Disclaimer: I borrow from Hinton. :D Jamie, however, is my lovely creation.**

* * *

The diner business was not all that it was cracked up to be to say the least. For some reason I had always imagined it to be glamorous - at least on the west side of town. Where the waitresses didn't get hassled by the boys, and wore pink uniforms, their hair tied up in a ponytail. It was thrilling . . . or so I thought.

I would have never worked at one on my side of town, but Florida brought on a whole new life. For one, I was labeled a tramp, and two, I got a job as a waitress. I soon discovered that it was not all it was cracked up to be. I had to remember everything that was on the menu and what went in it, deal with rude customers, and keep a bubbly personality at all times. On top of that, people didn't leave good tips for tramps.

Of course, eventually people forgot about my label as time moved on and tips improved, but I suppose I'll never forget those horrible words and disgusted looks. As if they weren't doing anything with their boyfriends. As if they never got caught up in something they shouldn't have.

I shuddered at the thought of my past and wiped at the counter. Here I was, fifty years old and still at the same diner I started at when I had been seventeen. Florida wasn't so bad really; it was always warm and the occasional tourists that came in were interesting to talk to. Of course, I liked the witty banter between the regulars better than anything, but a change of pace never hurt anyone.

The bell jingled above the door as it opened, revealing a sixteen-year-old Jamie in her work uniform. I sighed; it had been slow and at three o'clock on a school day, no one was at the diner.

Jamie rushed past me, stowing her bag under the counter and clocking in. Had she not arrived in uniform, she would have been late. Poor girl couldn't afford to be late again.

"Jamie, you change in school or somethin'?" I asked her, walking around the counter and sitting on a stool.

She blushed slightly. "I, uh, changed on the bus," she replied quietly and refused to make eye contact as she tied her apron around her waist.

I shook my head. "You girls have no decency these days. If I'd've done that, I would've been taken to an institution."

She giggled. "Yeah, yeah. You say that every time."

"You hungry? I don't think we'll be getting customers anytime soon." She nodded and took a seat on the stool next to me. "How about some sinkers and suds?"

"_Sandy . . ._"

"Yes, dear?"

"Why can't you just talk regularly? Why do you insist on talking all that mumbo jumbo?"

I laughed quietly to myself and placed two mugs on the counter. "Because we work at a diner, and that's how we're supposed to talk. You might get more respect around here if you stopped worrying about what those friends of yours think and started acting like a waitress for a diner. You don't work at Friday's, sweetie-pie."

She rolled her eyes and hopped off her stool, getting the donuts from their case. I filled the mugs with coffee and we met back at our seats with the sinkers and suds.

"You're always here, Sandy," Jamie mused after a while of silence. "Don't you have a husband to go home to?"

I took a long sip of my coffee. "Nope, just me and the cat."

"Don't you ever get lonely?"

I shook my head slowly. "I chose this lifestyle. It's not like I've never been proposed to before, sweetie. I chose this."

"Sandy?"

"Mmm?"

She looked down at her half-full cup of coffee and smiled slightly. "What's it like to be in love?" she asked, glancing back up at me.

"Oh, sweetie, I don't know if I'm a good person to answer that question."

She sat up straighter and looked at me with a questioning glance. "Why's that?" Shoot, she was interested now.

"It's a long story," I replied, attempting to drop the subject.

She shrugged. "No one's here."

"Oh, I don't know..."

"C'mon, _please?_"

"Oh, all right." So, I was a softy.

* * *

_ I was fifteen when we first met. Of course, he didn't realize it at the time. I was just the girl who he ran into at the store once and nothing more. I remember the moment exactly too__—__he was buying milk and literally bumped into me. "Sorry, I didn't see you there," he said, flashing me one of his famous grins. I smiled myself, despite the pain from the collision. "Are you okay, uh . . . I'm sorry, I don't know your name."_

_ "Sandy," I replied, and rubbed my head a little bit. "And don't sweat it."_

_ He grinned again. "Well, Sandy, it's been nice 'bumping' into you, but I got to get going; my brother's outside waiting," he said and started backing away. "My name's Sodapop by the way," he added, flashed another grin and turned around, walking out. I stood there, smiling like an idiot, until I heard my friend call my name and I walked away. _

* * *

"Sodapop?" Jamie interrupted suddenly, choking on her coffee. "That's a stupid nickname."

I placed a hand on my hip. "That was his real name," I informed her sternly, and she had to suppress a laugh. "Would you like me to continue, or would you like me to take an early cigarette break?"

She giggled. "No, no, continue please."

I smiled, laughing a tiny bit as well. "Thank you."

* * *

_ He was the boy that all the girls swooned over and I was the girl who kept her distance. He'd never notice me like that anyway, I'd think, he's too good-looking. Sodapop Curtis was handsome - handsomer than anyone I knew. Girls would flock to wherever he was at and flirt with him mercilessly. He was a charmer, that one. _

_ I remember the day he got a job at that DX station. All the girls with cars, soc and greaser alike, went to get gas from him. My friend Evie had taken me with her to visit her boyfriend, Steve, who was a mechanic over at the DX._

_ "Hey, baby," Evie greeted Steve and kissed him on the cheek. "I see the pumps are full today."_

_ He sneered and looked over at his friend. "My first day was nothin' like that. Soda's been here an hour and he's already got more business than I can get in a week. S'like he's good looking or something," Steve said loud enough for him to hear, sarcasm apparent in the last comment._

_ Soda looked over. "Aw man, you're just jealous," he called back and lazily hung an arm around one of the girls as he filled a tank with gas._

_ Evie fingered the collar of Steve's shirt. "You know what?"_

_ Steve pulled her close, an animal-like glint in his eye. "What?"_

_ "I think you're pretty good looking," she whispered and pulled him to the side of the station, leaving me alone. _

_ I sighed, knowing their make-out session would last longer than the time allotted for Steve's break, and sat down on one of the tires. Soda was interesting to watch to say the least. He was constantly grinning and moved about a lot, never giving attention to just one girl. There was just something about him._

_ After a while, the girls dispersed and the station slowed down, giving me nothing to be interested in but the music playing softly in the background. Soda had disappeared into the shop and I was sitting on a tire. It could have been better; it wasn't necessarily freezing, but even a nice day in winter could be cold. I was just about freezing when a tire rolled out of nowhere and landed in front of me. _

_ "You looked like you could use a coat and some company," a boy said from behind me as a coat draped around my shoulders. Sodapop walked around and handed me a Pepsi, sitting on the tire he had pushed there. He looked at his own Pepsi and grinned. "My kid brother loves this stuff," he told me and took a swig._

_ "Thanks," I said quietly, taking a sip of the Pepsi myself._

_ "Your name's Sandy, right?" I nodded. "Well, Sandy, why're you here all by your lonesome? Ain't you got a boyfriend to keep ya warm?"_

_ I laughed. "Evie and Steve are behind the station. I didn't feel the need to stick around for that."_

_ He grinned as well and looked at the soda bottle in his hands. "Ya know, I always found it funny that Stevie's girl had a name that rhymed with his. I guess they don't much, but sometimes they do." He looked up at me and met my eyes, making me blush slightly._

_ "So, this is your first day then?"_

_ "Yeah, my parent's finally let me get a job with Steve."_

_ I smiled and nodded. "So you've known Steve for a while then?"_

_ He chuckled. "Yeah. How long you been friend's with Evie?"_

_ "Oh, you know, for a while," I replied, smiling and looking down at the half-empty pepsi bottle in my hands._

_ "Steve!" Evie giggled from around the corner of the building. "Not here . . ."_

_ They walked around the corner, cheeks pink with cold and lips red from kissing. "Oh, Evie, c'mon . . ." Steve pleaded, walking behind her, his arms wrapped around her middle._

_ She turned and planted a teasing kiss by his lips. "I got to go, baby," she giggled loudly and broke from his arms, stopping shortly when she noticed Soda and me. "Oh, hey ya'll," she greeted awkwardly._

_ Soda chuckled softly. "Hi Evie. You and Stevie-boy have fun?"_

_ She blushed and walked over to me, throwing a slight glare in his direction. "Sandy, you ready to go?"_

_ Soda grinned and stood up. "What's the matter, Evie? Is Steve unwillin__'__ or something?" he joked playfully, throwing an arm around Steve as Steve jabbed him playfully in the ribs._

_ Evie giggled and pulled me to my feet. "C'mon Sandy, let's go," she said, looped her arm in mine and we walked away. "So what was all that about between you and Soda?" she whispered. _

_ I looked back and smiled; Soda was roughhousing with Steve. He stopped for a moment and pushed Steve off, catching my eye and waving, a grin on his face. "We were just talking," I replied, turning back around with the sudden intensity of butterflies in my stomach._

_

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_

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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yay Christmas break! You can probably expect a new Chapter from Soda Ain't Here as well sometime in the next few weeks. Anyway, enjoy this for now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders; S.E. Hinton does. I do, however, own Jamie and Bobby.**

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The bell jingled above the door, signaling a sole customer. "Well, hey there Sandy," Bobby greeted, tipping his hat. "Jamie."

"I thought you only came in the morning," Jamie greeted casually, her intent harmless, but coming out rudely.

I tugged her ponytail, making her drop the donut in her hand and make a face. "Be nice," I scolded quietly.

Bobby chuckled good-naturedly and slowly ambled over to us. "The missus felt the need for a float. Could you make two to go for us, Sandy?"

I nodded and stood up, walking behind the counter. "How is Mary doing today?" I asked as I placed two Styrofoam cups on the counter.

"It's one of her better days. She doesn't feel as sick today," he replied and smiled sadly. Bobby and Mary had been regulars for years. They had seen me grow up and now I was watching them die it seemed. The diner had become my life and my family; I was sad to know they were leaving me soon, but I'd accepted it as a part of life by now.

Jamie twirled in her seat. "So Sandy . . . did this Sodapop guy ask you out, or is that all of your great love story?"

"I never said it was a great love story," I replied and continued to make Bobby's floats.

"So what is it then?" she inquired, popping a piece of donut into her mouth and twirling in her seat some more.

Bobby chuckled as he shuffled past her. "It's a story of love and deceit."

"Huh?"

Vaguely, I wondered if I was ever like Jamie—loud, curious, and trashy in that follow-the-trend sort of way.

Bobby patted her shoulder and grabbed his floats with shaky hands. "There's a lot you don't know about Sandy, Miss Jamie." He backed himself out the door and nodded his goodbyes.

Jamie twirled in her seat to face me again. "What's he mean, love and deceit? Did Soda ask you out or what?"

"Calm yourself; I'm getting to it."

* * *

_ I was in school when I saw him next. I had been at my locker, talking to Evie when he approached. Evie made eye contact with me, raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows, and walked away with a bounce in her step. It was like she knew something I didn't._

_ Soda nodded a goodbye to her before turning awkwardly to me. "Hey Sandy," he greeted and smiled. _

_ I smiled back and leaned against my locker. "Hey yourself."_

_ He wrinkled his nose for a split second as if disgusted and shook his head._

_

* * *

_

"Why was he disgusted?" Jamie asked suddenly.

"A cocky girl is anything but appealing. She's silly sounding," I informed her and took a sip of my coffee.

"So did that ruin your chances with him?"

"Well, if you'd let me get a word in edgewise, I'd let you know."

She sat up straight, her cheeks red, and muttered, "Sorry."

* * *

_"You, uh, dropped this at the DX the other day…" he said shyly and held out a silver bracelet. It looked just like the one I had lost the other day. In fact, it was mine…_

_ I let out a quiet gasp. "How… how did you know it was mine? I mean … it could have been anyone's." I took the bracelet from his hands, letting my fingers brush against his. The touch sent chills up my spine._

_ "I saw you wearing it." He shrugged and quickly shoved his hands in his pockets, smiling as he did so. "You know I'm not usually like this…"_

_ There was just something about him. "Whatcha mean by that?"_

_ He grinned to himself, hanging his head. "I think you got me all mixed up," he admitted. "I keep thinking about you."_

_ I smiled, butterflies erupting in my stomach, and quickly looked at the bracelet in my hands. "Can you help me put it on?"_

_ His eyes lit up. "Sure," he replied and took the bracelet from my hands._

_ I held out my wrist, smiling and looking up at him. His brow was furrowed as he fumbled with the clasp, and he was biting his tongue. "Got it," he muttered and twirled the bracelet around my wrist for good measure. He caught my eye and grinned. "Hey, uh, Sandy?"_

_ More butterflies erupted in my stomach. "Yeah?"_

_ He shoved his hands in his back pockets and kicked a lone pencil on the floor. "You wanna get a coke or something later?"_

_ The warning bell rang for the next period. "You workin' at the DX after school today?" I asked and started to back away. _

_ He grinned and started to follow me. "Nope. Not today."_

_"Meet me here after school then?" I waited for his nod before turning around and walking to class, a wide smile on lips._

_

* * *

_

Jamie squealed. "Oh! He asked you out! Did you guys get named cutest couple? Did he-"

"Jamie…" I warned, cutting her off.

She shut her mouth immediately, looking like a kid getting caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Sorry," she muttered.

* * *

_He was waiting by my locker by the time I had escaped from Evie's prodding fingers. She had insisted we cut out of last period early and fix my hair and make-up. I had fallen for it, thinking that putting some fresh powder on my nose and fixing my hair a little wouldn't hurt, but Evie seemed to have had other plans._

_"Hey," I greeted him, slightly breathless. Whether it was because of him or the fact that I had near ran away from my friend, I couldn't tell you._

_"Hey," he greeted with a smile. "You ready ta…" he started, but trailed off and looked past me, cocking an eyebrow. _

_"Sandy, will you hold on just one second?" Evie called, impatience clear in her voice, as she ran around the corner. Her skirt flew up, but she didn't care – she never cared._

_"Evie, baby," someone catcalled, "how about you let that skirt –"_

_"Can it, buddy," she hissed and stopped abruptly next to us. "Sandy, for pete's sake, if you had just stopped…"_

_"Somethin' wrong, Evie?" Soda asked, rocking back on his heels with an amused smile on his lips._

_"Yeah," – she shoved books into his stomach – "you can carry these for your date," she snapped and pulled me a few feet to the side. "'Scuse us for a moment, Prince Charming."_

_He laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. I noticed the books Evie had shoved into his hands were mine._

_"Well, Miss Priss, what's your bag?" I snapped quietly._

_She cocked an eyebrow. "You really like him, huh, Sandy?"_

_I rolled my eyes. "Gee, whatever gave you that idea?" I always did get sassy when someone embarrassed me. _

_She smirked. "Don't get smart with me. I have connections with his best friend, remember?" She pulled a piece of tape off my arm. "If you'd slowed down, I could've told you that you had the seal on your arm still and you forgot your books."_

_I felt my cheeks get hot as I stole a glance at Sodapop. He was talking to some guy, holding my books and waving his hands around excitedly. "Think he saw it?" I asked._

_Evie smiled. "Nah. Now get over there 'fore he decides to take some other pretty gal out instead." She linked her arm through mine and we walked back over together._

_Soda stopped talking at the sight of us and cocked an eyebrow, grinning. "You joining us too, Evie?"_

_Evie narrowed her eyes. "Listen Sod-y-pop. You charm your way into making a mistake and so help me G-" _

_"Evie!" My cheeks must have been two hundred degrees with the thought about how she was about to go on. I pleaded with her silently, widening my eyes and forming my mouth into a tight line._

_Soda chuckled quietly. "Listen Prince Charming," – Evie poked his chest with her finger – "you treat Sandy good, you hear?"_

_He stood up straight and saluted her. "Yes, Mam." I caught his eye and giggled. _

_

* * *

_

"That Evie sounds like a real bitch," Jamie commented and immediately regretted it, clapping her hand to her mouth.

"Do not use that language here, Missy. What if a customer had heard?"

"Aw, Sandy… There isn't anyone here though…"

"What if the boss man had been here, huh? You would've been outta here so fast your head would've spun. You watch your language and your manners when you're at work, you hear me?" I took an interest in my coffee and waited for her to speak.

She nodded. "Sandy?"

"Yes dear?"

"I'm sorry."

I smiled and looked up at her; she was so easy. "As I was saying…"

* * *

_"Sorry we gotta walk 'n' all," Soda said as we exited the school grounds. "I don't got a car yet." He chuckled. "Don't got a license either, but that's never stopped me."_

_I smiled. "I don't mind one bit."_

_"Good." I stole a sideways glance at him; he was beaming._

_ The walk wasn't all that bad; Sodapop had me laughing all the way to Jay's with stories of his family. Once we had settled into a booth, though, he turned the attention over to me. "What about you? You got a brother or sister?"_

_ "I've got a baby sister. She's real cute and" – I leaned over my coke and whispered the next part – "best of all, she requires all the attention."_

_ Soda laughed. "What? You don't like all the attention from your folks?"_

_ I wrinkled my nose. "S'like they smother me. I can go out and do what I want now with the new baby."_

_ Soda grinned. "You can go anywhere?"_

_ I grinned back and sipped my coke. "Pretty much."_

_ "Well, uh, you wanna go to the game with me this Friday then?"_

_ I bit my bottom lip and smiled. "Sure."_

_

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_

**Review! o.O**

**Have an awesome holiday if I don't post again before Christmas.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well, here you are: Chapter three. :) Happy '09.**

**Disclaimer: Hinton owns all characters from The Outsiders; I own Jamie. Woo. XP**

* * *

"You want some more coffee, Jamie?" I asked as I stood up to refill my cup.

She nodded and stood up from her stool, bringing her cup over to me. "So, what happened at the game?"

"It was a game, Jamie. You've been to football games before, I'm sure."

"Yeah, but I mean, did he kiss you or anything? Like, what happened?"

I sighed; she just wasn't giving up. "A kiss on the cheek when he dropped me off."

"Not even a peck on the lips? I thought he liked you." It was like she was appalled by the thought of a gentleman. "And I thought you said he didn't have a license or a car."

I cocked an eyebrow at her. "You think Evie was calling him Prince Charming for her health? All you kids ever think about moving forward, that something physical is love. But in reality, you don't what love is."

I knew I was like Jamie at that moment. I thought love was physical when I was her age, and that was what had gotten me in trouble.

"Do you know what love is, Sandy?"

"Love is letting someone go." Putting the baby up for adoption. "Love is looking pasts the defects, the mistakes." What Soda had done for me despite what I'd done.

"Sandy?"

I sipped my coffee. "Mmmm?"

"What happened?" She looked over the edges of her mug as she took a sip, her eyes wide with curiosity.

I sighed and led her back to the stools. "Well…"

* * *

_He took me to a rodeo a few weeks later with his family. He paid for everything; his parents didn't have to spend a penny on me._

_"So, Sandy," Mrs. Curtis said as she leaned closer to me. We were sitting on the bleachers, the saddle bronc event before us. "You're friends with Evie, then?" _

_"Yeah, we've been good friends since grade school," I replied, leaning closer so she could hear. I saw Soda glance at me from the corner of my eye and smiled. _

_"I keep telling Steve to bring her around more, but you know boys… They'll get to it when they get to it." _

_Suddenly, Soda shot up from his seat and ran his hands through his hair. "Look at that, the guy can't even stay on and he hasn't even been let into the ring yet." He paced back and forth a few times before plopping down next to his little brother. I was amused to say the least._

_"What's got Soda so excited?" came Mr. Curtis' voice from behind. He had just gone to get a beer, something I'd been told he only indulged in at rodeos and special occasions._

_Just then Soda stood up again, obviously appalled. I wasn't even paying attention to the event anymore. Truthfully, the events bored me; the people were the entertainment. Like Soda for example: "What a way to end an event! He barely stayed on for a second. Man, I stayed on for four seconds 'fore I hurt my leg that time an' I'm younger than 'im!" He turned to his younger brother, grinning. "That'll be a week of my chores, thank you."_

_Ponyboy narrowed his eyes at Soda, letting his jaw drop. He turned to his parents. "Mom, Dad…"_

_His father laughed good-naturedly. "You made the bet; you suffer the consequences."_

_

* * *

_

"What's with this family and weird names?" Jamie asked, choking slightly on her coffee. "How many other kids are running around with names like that?"

I had to laugh; I found it funny when I was her age too. "Soda has an older brother named Darry, but he was named after his father, Darrel.

"Yeah?" She laughed. "What, the mother lose a bet?"

"Who knows …" I laughed and shook my head.

* * *

_Soda walked over to me, grinning. "Know what that means?"_

_I took his hands, grinning, and he pulled me to my feet. "What?"_

_"Means I get to spend more time with you for a whole week." He scrunched up his face in a smile and kissed my cheek quickly, receiving a whistle from someone behind us. _

_"Dallas," Mrs. Curtis warned._

_I turned around to see Dallas Winston taking a seat next to Mr. and Mrs. Curtis. She had her hand on his knee, shaking it like a mother would, telling him that she heard about the race the other day and was mighty proud._

_

* * *

_

"Who's Dallas?"

"He's the toughest hood in Tulsa... Or at least, he was. Right now, he's probably stuck in a jail cell. Anyway, you didn't mess with him."

"Oh… So Soda kissed you on the cheek?"

* * *

_"C'mon, let's go for a walk or something," Soda said, pulling me away from his family._

_"What were you saying about hurting your leg?" I asked once we had gotten down from the bleachers._

_He put his arm around me and I leaned against him, wrapping my arm around his waist. "I, uh, tore a ligament over the summer during that event."_

_"Oh…"_

_"Yeah, hey listen, you wanna go check out the horses?"_

_"We're allowed to?" I was excited; no one ever let me by the horses when I came._

_"They got stables around back," he said and turned to face me, grabbing my hand. "C'mon," he said and we started running there._

_

* * *

_

"Running?"

"Well, hurried walking with a few skips on my part."

* * *

_He stopped short just outside the first barn, catching his breath and grinning wildly. I grinned right along with him and pulled him into a kiss._

_He grabbed my hands again, walking backwards and pulling me into the stables. He went right over to one and started petting its nose, whispering to it how beautiful it was. I stood in my spot, taking it all in—I couldn't move. _

_Soda looked over at me and let out a laugh. "What do you think boy?" he asked the horse. "Think Sandy's scared of ya?" The horse nodded his head and snorted. "Aw, but you're nothin' but big ol' softy, huh?" Soda threw a glance in my direction and grinned._

_I narrowed my eyes playfully, determined to show him I wasn't afraid. I wasn't either; it wasn't like I'd never been around a horse before. I'd been to a few rodeos when I was little, and I'd been around my fair share of horses. I just forgot how big and beautiful they were. _

_I walked over to them, and pet the horse's nose. "Hey there…" I whispered. "What's your name?"_

_"His name's Black Jack," Soda whispered, standing behind me with his arms wrapped around my middle, cheek resting against mine. _

_I smiled at his touch. "Hi Black Jack," I whispered. Soda shifted behind me, digging something out of his pocket. I looked down to see him pull out pieces of carrot. "Where'd you get those?"_

"_Stole 'em from my mom. Don't tell her though; I'm hoping she won't notice a few missing from the stew she's gonna make later." He pressed two into the palm of my hand and fed the others to Black Jack._

_I looked at the carrots in my hands to the horse in front of me. I'd never actually fed a horse before. Soda wiped his hand on his jeans. "Don't tell me you've never fed a horse before…" he teased._

_I turned and faced him, feigning offense. "So what if I haven't? That a problem for you?" _

_He grinned and gently grabbed my waist, pulling me closer. "Nope, not a problem at all," he whispered, our lips almost touching. I leaned into him, closing the distance, and letting our lips brush against each other's. My hands felt their way to his toned arms, still holding the carrots. _

_He kissed me yet again, letting his lips linger, before repeating it again a few times. Somewhere after the second kiss, one hand left my waist and found my own hand—the one full of carrots. He took it and held it for a moment, taking the time to get a few more kisses in, before pulling away and guiding my hand over to the horse's mouth. He opened my hand, cradling it in his own and fed the horse with me._

"_See? Nothin' to be afraid of."_

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	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Check out my joint story—new chapter. :D**

**Disclaimer: Hinton owns; I borrow.**

* * *

"Ah!" Jamie squealed suddenly. "Why aren't you still with him? He could've had anyone—you said it yourself, but no, he picked you. And he's good-looking, and he's sweet, and he's a gentleman, and—"

I put a hand up to stop her. "First of all, Jamie, this was years and years ago and I, uh, might have exaggerated about all the girls swoonin' over him…"

Jamie chuckled. "What? Why?"

"Well, Soda was handsome, probably one of the most handsome men I've seen, but not _everyone_ swooned over him. Sometimes, it just felt like that was the case."

"That why you're not with him anymore, Sandy? Because you were jealous or somethin'?"

I contemplated it for a moment. "I don't know if you'd understand."

Jamie was silent. "Well, what happened after the rodeo? You guys continued to go out, right?"

I sipped on my coffee. "Mhmm."

"Well, what happened?" She finished off her coffee and pushed the mug away from her.

"We continued to go out. He got his license so we didn't have to walk everywhere or double with Steve for his car."

Jamie's smile dropped. "That's it? I thought Bobby said this was a story of love and deceit."

"Well…"

* * *

_Four months into our relationship, there was a bad car crash and both people in the car died upon impact. It was the last day of January and it had been raining. I don't think Sodapop even knew how it happened. I don't think he really wanted to know, either._

_

* * *

_

"What does Sodapop have to do with that? Did he know the people in the car?"

"It was his parents who were in the car…" Jamie's eyes went round.

* * *

_There was a knock at the door. I was sitting on the couch, watching TV and sulking because Sodapop had stood me up. Evie wasn't all too pleased either; Steve had done the same thing. We had stopped by the DX earlier in the day to see what the deal was, but they were nowhere to be found. Usually, we could at least find them under the hood of a car, losing track of time._

_"What do you want?" my mother snapped from the doorway. She wasn't exactly pleased with him at the moment. "She's in there sulkin' 'cause you don't have the brains to show up or even call."_

_"Please, can I just talk to her?" was the reply. Sodapop. I got up and walked to the door, standing behind my mother. "Sandy?" he ventured, looking me in the eyes. Glory, was he ever a mess._

_I looked at my mother. "Let me talk to him, Mama."_

_She looked at him, narrowed her eyes and let me pass. "Ya'll stay on the porch. Your Daddy will be home soon, Sandy, and you know he doesn't like it when you miss Sunday dinners."_

_"Yeah, yeah," I muttered and walked outside and sat down on the steps._

_Soda followed reluctantly, sitting down on the steps next to me. I shivered involuntarily and he took off his jacket, placing it around me. "Sandy?" he whispered. _

_"Yeah?"_

_"I'm real sorry about this afternoon, standing you up 'n' all." He placed his head in his hands and sniffed. "I would've called, but Darry's been on the phone a lot and I dunno, I couldn't bring myself to move."_

_I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. Did something happen to his little brother? Everyone knew how much that kid meant to Soda and everyone knew he ran around with Johnny Cade who ran around with Dallas Winston. Anything involving Dallas Winston was trouble, no matter what Soda's mom said about him not being as bad as everyone thought._

_"Sandy… Did you hear about the crash yesterday?"_

_What's that got to do with anything? I thought. "Yeah, my dad mentioned something about it when I got home from Evie's last night."_

_"My parent's were in it."_

_I suddenly felt horrible for being mad at him before. "Are they okay?"_

_He shook his head. "They're dead," he choked out and looked at me, tears welling up in his eyes. "What am I going to do without my parents, Sandy?"_

_My own eyes started to well up. "Oh, Soda…" I managed to whisper and hugged him. He broke down, his sobs vibrating against me. "You're gonna be okay…" I tried to soothe. "It'll be okay." I'm not sure I even believed myself._

_He broke away and wiped his tears, looking at me. "Aw Sandy, I'm sorry," he said suddenly, taking his thumbs and wiping at the tears on my cheeks. "I didn't mean to make you cry too."_

_I wiped at my eyes. "No, it's not your fault. I just… I feel bad." He pulled me into a hug, running his fingers through my hair the way that sent chills up my spine. "I was so mad, but I shouldn't've been," I sobbed. _

_He let out a quivering breath. "I wish I knew what was going to happen, Sandy. I've never not had my parents. They're talking about putting me 'n' Pony in a boys home. I can't be separated from my brothers; I just can't lose 'em. Not now."_

_My dad pulled into the driveway and Soda pulled away, quickly wiping at his eyes. "I, uh, should get the truck back. Darry doesn't know I took it."_

_"What do you mean," I started to ask, but paused as my dad walked past us, giving us questioning looks. He liked Soda, but he didn't think we needed to always be hugging. If he only knew about the make-out sessions when Soda managed to borrow a car._

_I lowered my voice to a whisper. "What do you mean, Darry doesn't know?"_

_"He's taking a nap. Pony and Johnny said they wouldn't say anything." He scratched the back of his neck, looking away. "I needed to see you. My house just ain't what it used to be."_

_"How's Pony doin'?" I asked. Poor kid was only thirteen._

_Soda shrugged, still looking at his feet, and sniffed. "Last night we fell asleep together in my room, right?" I nodded, understanding. "But I guess Darry woke up sometime later and moved Pony into his room and then went into his own room, because we woke up to Pony screaming bloody murder halfway through the night." He paused, sniffing, and ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. "He can't even remember what he dreamed."_

_My dad stuck his head out the door. "Dinner's ready, Sandy. Are you planning on staying, Sodapop?" His voice was softer than usual._

_Soda shook his head and stood up, rubbing his face. He turned and forced a smile onto his face as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "Sorry, sir, not tonight," he managed to say. "I, uh, I got to get back to my brothers."_

_My dad stepped all the way outside and turned to me. "Sandy, go help your mother," he said._

_I let my hand brush against Soda's and squeezed it as I passed, walking inside. I didn't help my mother though; I stayed by the door and eavesdropped, occasionally peeking out. Turns out my mom had done the same thing until my dad walked in and informed him of what was going on. _

_My dad tried to give Soda a few dollars, but he politely refused and said his goodbyes._

_Tears started to well up in my eyes and I sank against the wall as my dad walked back in. He looked down at me, opening his mouth to say something, but stopped when he heard my little sister start to bawl. He went over and picked her up out of her playpen before coming back over to me and pulling me up._

"_Shh…" he soothed both us as he rubbed my arm comfortingly. "I know, Sandy, I know."_

* * *

**Reviews make my day. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well, it's been a little while, hasn't it? Sorry for the lack of update. I went back to school. As for my other fics (Emotionless and the sequel to Soda Ain't Here), you'll have to be patient. I want to do justice with Dallas' character, so the updates will be lacking. As for the sequel, I have to write a little more and figure out a title. :P**

**Disclaimer: I borrow from Hinton. (She's pretty much awesome.)**

* * *

"What happened to them?" Jamie asked suddenly. "Soda and Ponyboy, I mean."

"His older brother, Darry, was granted guardianship," I explained, taking another sip of coffee.

She mulled it over in her head for a moment. "How old was his brother?"

"I think he had just turned twenty when it happened."

Jamie stuck a piece of gum in her mouth. "That's got to suck." She paused and thought for a moment. "So, what happened? Did Sodapop get, like, all depressed and shit, and then get shady on you?"

"Not necessarily." I paused and took a sip of my coffee. "And watch your language. Don't make me remind you again."

She cracked her gum. "Where's this deceit, Sandy? I'm not seeing it anywhere in this story so far." I raised an eyebrow at her, giving her a stern look. She looked at her lap. "I'll shut up."

* * *

_The funeral was the worst. Sodapop was a mess the entire time—bawled shamelessly with his little brother throughout most of the service and burial. I stood towards the back, with my parents and Evie, not really listening to the minister's words. _

_I was wondering what it would be like to lose my parents. We didn't necessarily get along most of the time, but I don't know if I could handle not having them. Well, not after that, anyway. I used to think I could get by without my mom. If a parent had to die, I could get by without her. She used to always tell me I needed to lose weight, that no boy would ever like me. I would yell back that just because I wasn't a stick like Evie, didn't mean I was anywhere near fat. I barely had baby fat. Apparently being two sizes too big for her small waist was a death sentence on my part. She wanted Evie as a daughter anyway; that was my theory._

_My dad cared most of the time… I think, anyway. He was strict, but he had his caring moments. Sometimes, he would even side with me. I mean sure, he ended up stalking out of the house when he did, but it was nice to know I had someone in the house who agreed with me… some of the time._

_I nudged the dry grass with shoe, looking down at it absently._

_What if I were stuck in Darry's position, raising my kid sister? She was just a baby, and Darry was now responsible for two teenage boys, but still… what if?_

_Evie gave a loud sniff from beside me and hurriedly wiped at her eyes. She was the type of girl who didn't like to show her more emotional feelings. She could be the sassiest little thing, laugh and flirt her head off, but when it came to being upset, she didn't let on as much. _

_I knew what she was thinking about too. Her own mother had died when she was about nine from being sick. I only vaguely remember the funeral; she was crying then too. Of course, she was trying her best not to; she was a sassy little thing then as well, being around all boys for the longest time. None of her older brothers were crying, and I remember her keeping her head up high just like them. I had cried, but then again, I was always the baby of the two of us. _

_I looked up; it was over and people were leaving. "We'll be at the car," my dad said as my family walked away. I linked my arm through Evie's and we walked over to Steve. His eyes were red and he looked miserable, just as everyone else did. _

_I unhooked my arm from Evie's and let Steve envelop her in a hug. They had their ups and downs in that relationship, but they did care about each other. There was more than a physical attraction, despite the things that Steve claimed when they fought._

_A sob emitted from the two of them as I walked away, but I didn't bother to find out which of them it came from. They had each other at the moment and I was content on finding Sodapop. He seemed to have disappeared in the last few minutes._

_I found him leaning against a tree a ways away, smoking a cigarette. His back was to me, so I couldn't tell if he was still crying, but his body wasn't shaking with sobs at least. "I don't know how this stuff works, God, but I miss 'em," he was whispering into the wind. "_Why? _I mean, I know I ain't that good of a person. And I know I don't go to church, but this ain't fair. Why you got to take them? Why couldn't you take someone else, huh?" He placed his head in his hands, shaking slightly with sobs as he slid to the ground. "How come, God, how come?"_

_I swallowed back some tears and walked over to him, sitting down next to him. "Everything happens for a reason, Sodapop," I whispered to him as I wrapped my arms around his waist. He wiped at his tears, tossed away his cigarette, and quit his crying._

_"You weren't supposed to hear that…" He choked out a cough and put his arms around me, holding me like he didn't want to let go, ever. I loved that feeling._

_"But I did." I snuggled against him, letting my head rest against his chest, and letting my ears pick up the sounds of his heartbeat. _

_He was silent for a moment, then nodded his head. "I don't mean it. I don't want anyone else to go through this. Even if they think they want it…"_

_

* * *

_

"This Soda guy sounds like he was a real catch… Good-lookin', sensitive, smart…"

I contemplated it for a moment before nodding slowly, letting her think what she wanted for the moment. It had nothing to do with the point I was at in the story, but I ignored it. Sodapop _was_ a catch, but I went behind his back for, well…

He never noticed and that was the point.

* * *

**This was short, but I felt that if I included the next chapter with this one, this chapter would be really random.**

**Anyway...**

**Reviews make me update faster. (Yes, that was a bribe. Get over it.)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own anything you recognize as Hinton's.**

**

* * *

**

"No one's perfect, Sweets," I told her.

"Yeah, well, Sodapop Curtis sure sounds like he comes close." She cracked her gum.

"A boy can look good on paper, but that doesn't mean he will in real life."

She gave me a weird look. "What?"

I shook my head, smiling. "Never mind…"

* * *

_I was walking down the hall to use the bathroom a few weeks later when someone roughly grabbed my arm and pulled me into a tiny alcove between some lockers. _

_"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I hissed and struggled out of the person's grasp._

_"Sandy," he whispered roughly and turned me to face him. "It's just me. Don't make a scene."_

_I narrowed my eyes and slapped his arm. "What the hell, Steve?"_

_He pressed his finger to my lips and scowled. "I need you to take a walk with me, okay? I got to talk to you, but I can't do that if you're gonna make a scene about it."_

_I swallowed hard. "Fine."_

_He grabbed my hand and checked the halls, making sure no one was around. "C'mon," he said, and pulled me towards the side doors of the school._

* * *

Jamie giggled. "What? Was he afraid you two would get caught or something?"

I raised an amused eyebrow. "Sort of…"

"Yeah?" She giggled a little more.

"Sodapop and Steve were best friends. Evie and I were best friends. If anyone heard we were sneaking around together, alone, trying not to get caught, rumors would have spread. That's not what we needed at the moment."

* * *

_"Where are we going, anyway?" I asked once we were outside._

_He stopped and let go of my hand. "We're going here."_

_I looked around and blushed. This was where couples skipped classes, and made out instead. "Here?"_

_He rolled his eyes. "You think I'd actually pull something on my best friend's girl?_

_I blushed again and he leaned against the brick wall, sliding down it until he was sitting on the ground. I crossed my legs and lowered myself so that I was sitting next to him. "I guess not."_

_He pulled out a cigarette and lit up, taking a drag. "Yeah," he muttered._

_I chuckled. "Why here though, Steve? There are plenty of other places."_

_He took another drag of his smoke and exhaled slowly. "I already told you… I need to talk to you. Where else are we going to get privacy without getting caught by someone?"_

_I shrugged, a small smile still on my lips. "What'd you want to talk about anyway?"_

_Steve stuck the cigarette in his mouth and rose to his knees. He put his hand on the small of my back and made me lean forward with him. "Look, you see the hill?"_

_"Yeah…" I didn't know where he was going with this._

_"Sodapop's up there. You can't see 'im, but he's there. He's leanin' against a tree, smokin' a whole fuckin' pack."_

* * *

"Wait, what's so bad about Soda smoking? Everyone does it and besides, wasn't he smoking after the funeral?" Jamie asked.

"Well, there's nothing bad about it in particular. It's just he never used to smoke. He only did it to make him look tougher or to calm his nerves if something was really bothering him."

"He wasn't trying to look tough, huh?"

I shook my head no and finished my coffee.

* * *

_"He's been out there all period, Sandy," Steve continued. "He looked like he could use a break so we went out before the bell rang to get a smoke in, but he wasn't in the mood to go back in apparently."_

_"Steve… he's been off for a while now."_

_"You just realized?" Steve snapped. "He just lost his parents, Sandy. I mean, I still hate it, but I'm moving on. He's not. He barely talks to me anymore. I don't mean the deep stuff either. He barely wants to talk about anything."_

_I sat back against the wall. "Evie was like this too for the longest time when her mom died."_

_"Yeah?"_

_I nodded. "Mhmm. She wouldn't go out or anything. I used to have to drag her outside to play." I paused. "It wasn't until someone talked to her about their parents dying that she snapped out of it." _

_"She never told me that…"_

_"When's she ever really talk about her mom?"_

_He thought about it and shrugged. "Never, I guess."_

_"Exactly."_

_"Well, we got to do somethin'. I don't figure you like him like this either."_

_I sighed and remained silent. Evie took forever to snap out of her daze. It wasn't until someone talked to her who understood… "Steve?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"I got an idea…"_

_He ground his cigarette against the heel of his chucks. "Well? What is it?"_

_"Remember how I said it took someone who understood talkin' to Evie for her to snap out of it?" He nodded. "What if we got Evie to talk to him?"_

_"Think she'll do it?"_

_"If we both ask her, she might."_

_He scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know… You're better talkin' about that sorta stuff to her. You know she doesn't like talkin' to me 'bout it."_

_I changed my sitting position so I was sitting on my knees and facing him. "Steve," I said, placing my hand on his knee, "you know her. She'll think I'm just askin' because I'm his girlfriend. She'll think I'm overreacting."_

_He smirked and looked at the hand I placed on his knee. "Soda'll kill us if he found out all the touching we did today…" He chuckled. "Especially here…"_

_I glared and stuck my tongue out at him, taking my hand off his knee. "He'll be even more pissed to know you're the one who started it." I giggled. "I'm just a girl, remember? I could never defend myself against the likes of you, Stevie."_

_"I don't know if I should take that as a threat, as you flirtin' with me, or as a compliment…" He rolled his eyes, a small smile creeping onto his face. "Fine, I'll talk to her with ya."_

* * *

"So did you guys talk to her?"

"I was getting to that," I replied slowly, giving her a pointed look.

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Shut up."

* * *

_It was a few days later—Friday to be exact—and the final bell had just rung. I was at my locker, getting books when I suddenly saw someone lean up against the locker next to mine. _

_"So, I was thinkin' we corner her now. Soda's talkin' to his teacher, so we have a few minutes where he won't suspect nothin'."_

_I closed my locker and looked at Steve. At times I used to question what Evie saw in him. He was good-lookin', yeah, but he had always seemed slightly bitter to me. Soda and him seemed to be opposites too, but they had always been thick as thieves, the best of buddies. I didn't think that since Evie and him had started to get serious, and especially after the past week, but still. _

_"Sounds like a plan to me," I said. "We're all goin' to that movie tonight, too, so she could talk to him then." He nodded and started to walk off towards her locker. I fell into step with him, and called her name. _

_She turned, smiled, and closed her locker, waiting for us to get to her. As soon as we did, Steve turned her around, making her giggle, and looped his arm around her waist. I linked my arm through her free one and the three of us walked down the hall a few steps._

"_Shit," Steve muttered and stopped, looking at me. "We didn't think this through. Where're we going to talk to her, Sandy?"_

_Evie looked between the two of us, her eyes wide with question. "What's goin' on?"_

_I looked around for an empty classroom or something we could drag her into quickly. "We need to talk to you," I explained quickly as I spotted the girl's bathroom and pulled the two of them towards it._

_Steve hesitated outside for a moment, but I grabbed his hand and pulled him in._

_A few of the girls inside gasped. "You're not allowed in here," one of them said._

"_Naw, really?" he snapped. "Get out," he told them, "the three of us need to talk."_

_They glared at the three of us, but obliged, walking out, one after the other. I followed them to the door, but instead of leaving, I closed the door behind them and locked it. _

"_What's this all about?" Evie questioned, cracking her gum loudly._

"_We want you to talk to Soda tonight…. Before the movie, after the movie, during the movie—it doesn't matter. We just want you to talk to him," I told her, still leaning against the door. _

"_Why? He bein' a drag to hang around with? The guy just lost both his parents, Sandy. Give him a break."_

_I raised an eyebrow at Steve. I told him so._

"_Baby," Steve started, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek gently. "C'mon… Please?"_

_She just about melted. "Why me?"_

"_Baby, I hate to say it, but you know how it feels… losin' a parent an' all." He pressed his forehead against the top of her head. "He's miserable. He won't talk to either of us."_

_She looked at me, her expression softer now._

"_You remember when—I think it was your cousin—came to visit? When we were nine… maybe ten?" She nodded, her lip quivering slightly. "And he talked to you about your mom? How she was in a better place, and she was done suffering? And how it was okay to feel sad? That he felt sad about his dad a lot of the time too? Even though it had happened a few years before your mom?"_

"_Sandy… I don't feel the same about things like I did when I was nine. I believe different things now."_

"_I know, but you still know how it feels. That's more than me and Steve can say, you know?"_

_Steve squeezed her tighter. "Please, baby…"_

_She twirled a piece of hair impatiently. "All right, fine," she agreed quietly and took a deep breath._

* * *

I paused, absently wiping at the lipstick marks on my empty mug.

"So… Did she end up talking to him?"

I nodded. "Mhmm."

She blew a bubble and sucked the air back in, making the bubble pop. "When'd she end up doing it? During the movie? Afterwards? When?"

"About three quarters of the way into it."

* * *

_The movie was boring, Soda and Steve couldn't sit still to save their lives, and Evie wouldn't make out with Steve since Soda wasn't putting the moves on me. She looked at me and raised her eyebrows, as if to say she was ready to talk to him._

"_Let's cut out," I announced loudly enough for only the three of them to hear. "This is boring."_

_Soda grinned weakly and jumped up. I stood up as well, and followed Steve and Evie out. "Thank you," he whispered into my ear as he placed his hand on the small of my back. "I was just about ready to explode."_

_We walked outside, into the cold, and I felt Soda put his jacket around my shoulders. "To keep you warm," he explained and kissed my cheek._

_I smiled and leaned up against him. I could feel the tension and uncertainty hanging in the air and I wanted to get rid of it… somewhat._

"_Ya'll wanna get cokes, or shakes, or somethin'?" Soda asked, wrapping his arms around me and absently rubbing his thumb against my arm._

_I shrugged and looked at Evie, who pulled herself together and straightened up. "Hold up there, Prince Charming," she said and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from me. "We're going to talk first."_

_Soda's eyes went wide in confusion as he looked back at Steve and me for an explanation. I shrugged and Steve put his arm around me smirking. "We'll meet ya'll at Jay's in a bit."_

_I rolled my eyes and slapped his chest, shrugging off his arm._

"_What?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips. We were both relieved at the moment and it was showing. The entire week had been tense for the two of us, knowing we were conspiring behind Soda's back._

_I rolled my eyes again. "C'mon, you can buy my a soda." I giggled and started to walk away._

"_Oh, I can now, huh?"_

_I stuck my tongue out at him. "Yeah, you can."_

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**...and review! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**I only own a copy of The Outsiders, unfortunately.**

* * *

"So… they talked, huh?" Jamie asked.

I nodded, smiling. "Yes…"

* * *

_I ripped off half of a straw wrapper, and crumpled it into a ball, throwing it at Steve's face. He turned to say something smart, and I blew the other half in his face. _

_"You an' Soda are definitely perfect for each other," he commented, smirking a bit._

_I smiled, the straw still placed between my lips. "Yeah?"_

_He laughed, blowing a straw wrapper at me. "Yeah."_

_"It's been an awful long time, Steve." It had been, too. It had to have been at least an hour and a half since Evie had dragged Soda away to talk._

_Steve shrugged. "You want some more fries or somethin'? I'm still hungry."_

_I rolled my eyes. "You boys are always hungry."_

_

* * *

_

Jamie giggled. "That's so true though! My brother empties the pantry before the food's been there a whole twenty-four hours even."

I laughed, nodding my head in agreement. "That's a boy for you."

* * *

_Our side of the diner was clearing out. It was still busy, but mostly it was occupied by couples that wanted the privacy of a booth and groups of friends who wanted the seating arrangement of a table. We were two of the few left at the counter. _

_I pushed the basket towards Steve and sipped my coke. "I'm full," I told him, placing my hands around my stomach and making a weird face at him. _

_He chuckled, placing a fry into his mouth. "You barely ate five of 'em!"_

_I picked one up and threw it at him. "Yeah, and we also shared that other basket before."_

_"Yeah, yeah… whatever."_

_The bell jingled above the diner door and in walked Evie, her eyes red and her cheeks flushed from what I assumed had been caused by tears. Steve and I both twirled our stools completely around at the sight of her, slightly paralyzed in our seats. Evie walked over to us and buried herself into Steve. He in turn wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight, and buried his face into her hair._

_I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, letting her know I was there for her as well._

_The bell jingled again, causing me to look over at the door. Soda had stuck his head just barely and was looking at me, his eyes pleading. _

_Evie sniffed. "He wants you to go outside, Sandy," she mumbled into Steve. Steve looked up at me, his face still half-buried into her hair as he rubbed designs into her back._

_I nodded and stood up, straightening my skirt and replacing Soda's jacket around my shoulders as I did so. Soda stuck his head back outside, let the door close behind him, and stuck his hands in his pockets, waiting for me to come out. _

_"You an' Stevie have a good time?" he asked as I stepped outside, a weak smile on his face._

_I shrugged, smiling slightly. "I threw straw wrappers and fries at him."_

_He chuckled and grabbed my hands, pulling me towards him. "C'mere," he mumbled and wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in a hug. I could feel him shaking, and I found myself wondering what he and Evie had talked about. She had come in a mess, and he wasn't in that much better of shape it seemed._

_I pulled away and took his hand, leading him away from Jay's and down an old alleyway. It led to back roads, which led to the park, which would lead to privacy._

_

* * *

_

Jamie raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, child."

* * *

_"So…" Soda started. We were lying in the cold, dry grass of the park, looking up at the stars. Soda's foot was absently pushing the merry-go-round, making it spin slightly in both directions. _

_"Yeah?"_

_"Evie talked to me tonight…"_

_"I know…" I looked at him. He was lying there, looking up at the stars like they held answers. "Whatcha lookin' at, Soda?" _

_"The stars…" He paused and shook his head, slightly. "I don't know why Pony digs 'em so much. They're just sparkling dots in the night sky."_

_"I guess… but maybe he likes 'em because he doesn't know what they hold."_

_"Like a poetic kind of thing?"_

_I nodded, looking at the stars myself. "Yeah. You said he was into that sort of stuff."_

_"Yeah, he is…" He closed his eyes, letting his breathing become steady and calming._

_I rolled to my side and looked at him again. "Hey Soda?"_

_He cocked an eyebrow, his eyes still closed. "Mmm?"_

_"What'd you an' Evie talk about?"_

_A grin tugged at his lips. "You couldn't resist, huh? You just _had_ to know." He opened his one eye and grabbed me, making me giggle as he pulled me against him._

_"Seriously though. I want to know…"_

_The grin faded from his lips. "She took me to the cemetery… to visit her mother's grave."_

_I swallowed hard. Evie rarely visited there. She must have thought about it all day after we roped her into talking to Soda. No wonder she'd been crying; that was hard for her to do._

_"She didn't say anything after we left you guys, she just pulled me along until we got there. And even then she didn't say anything. She just sat down in front of it, staring at it. An' you know me, I just stood there for the longest time, wondering what the hell she was doing and hating her for taking me to the cemetery…"_

_"You know her mom's grave isn't that far from…"_

_"Yeah, I know…" He paused, swallowing hard. "That's why I hated her."_

_I laced my fingers with his own and rubbed my thumb against his, urging him to continue without actually saying it._

_"After a while she asked me if I believed in Heaven. An' I told her I did…" He swallowed hard again. "She told me to sit down an' I did. And that was when I noticed she was crying…" He let out a quivering breath. "She said that I couldn't let it ruin my life. That I was going to hate it, but that I couldn't let death win. Said that death's too proud for it's own good. It's proud that it can cause so much destruction. She said that I couldn't let it win. Because it never wins. Because I believe in Heaven and Heaven means that they live on. Heaven means death is just a word."_

_

* * *

_

"That… that reminds me of something," Jamie said, thinking.

"What?"

"I don't know. Just what Soda said that Evie said… it reminds me of something. I feel like I've read it somewhere..."

* * *

**I'll send cookies to anyone who guesses the piece of literature Jamie is can't quite put her finger on. (I'll even give you a hint: it's a poem!)**

**Review, please. ^.^**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hinton owns, man. I'm jealous.**

* * *

Jamie tucked her hair behind her ear, and shrugged. "Oh well. So what happened after that?"

"He took me home," I told her.

"No, I mean like, well, you know what I mean…"

I shook my head, an amused smile on my face.

"_Sandy…"_

_

* * *

_

_"Can you believe him? I mean he can't really expect me to dissect a frog, can he? That's so gross!" _

_Listening to Patty ramble on wasn't my favorite activity of the day, but it was better than nothing in my opinion. She was a year younger than me, but sometimes she could be funny and she always had whatever I needed, whether it was a tampon, notes from a class we shared, or even a safety pin for when the hem of my skirt would fall out. I wasn't a whore like some of the trash that walked the halls of Will Rogers High, but I wasn't one for skirts down to my ankles either. _

_It was the end of the day and Patty had just come from Biology. I remembered having to dissect things the previous year and frowned. After smiling pretty for my lab partner and getting him to do all the work, I had sat there on my stool and looked at the floor the entire time, trying desperately not to breathe in the scent of formaldehyde. Unfortunately, the scent followed me the entire day. I frowned again; the scent still got to me._

_

* * *

_

Jamie giggled. "You know, I did the exact same thing when I was a freshman. Got a date out of it too."

I grinned. "Having a pretty smile can come in handy…" It really, honestly could.

* * *

_A pair of hands covered my eyes suddenly and I was enveloped in the faint scent of aftershave and tiniest hint of cigarette smoke—a nice change and for that I was thankful. Butterflies arose in my stomach. "Guess who?" came Sodapop's voice. He was so much happier after that talk he and Evie had a few weeks beforehand._

_I was about to guess some random boy's name just to see his face contort into a confused frown when he let go, but Patty spoke up before the chance arose. "Hi Sodapop," she greeted. I could hear the smile in her voice and knew she was feeling the same butterflies that I was._

_She had the hugest crush on him even if she'd never admit to it._

_He chuckled and dropped his hands. "Aw, Patty… it ain't no fun if you give away the answer."_

_She blushed. "I gotta get goin'. I promised Mary I'd meet up with her when school got out," she told us hurriedly._

_"Bye, Patty," I called as she walked off. _

_"Bye," she called back, waving. I felt Soda wave back to her from behind me._

_I turned to face him, scrunching my face in a smile and holding my books tight to my chest. "Hi there," I greeted._

_"Hi there," he mocked, grinning and taking my books from me. He leaned down and kissed my cheek. "So I was thinkin'…"_

_I grinned. "Should I be scared?"_

_He shook his head, making a few pieces of his hair fall out of place. "I was thinkin' that since I don't have work today, that you could come over…" He grabbed my hand and laced his fingers with my own. "Whadda ya think?"_

_I grinned and rose on my tippy toes, planting a kiss on his cheek. "I think I could go for that."_

_His eyes lit up. "Yeah?"_

_I nodded, smiling and biting my lip._

_

* * *

_

Jamie's eyebrows raised and she smirked again. This time, however, I couldn't tell her to stop assuming things.

* * *

_"Golly, it's cold outside," Sodapop muttered and opened his front door. I felt bad; he had me wearing his jacket on top of my sweater and I was perfectly warm._

_"You should've kept your jacket on then, silly," I told him and shrugged his jacket off, placing it onto the chair. _

_Soda kicked off his shoes and grinned mischievously at me. "Naw, you know why?"_

_I grinned, placing my hands on my hips, and faced him. "I got a feeling you're going to tell me."_

_He closed the difference between us and placed his hands over mine. I jumped at how cold they were. "Cold, ain't they?" I nodded and he pulled me closer. "Well then you'll just have to warm me up, baby."_

_He kissed me, letting his lips linger for a few moments. I pulled away slightly, moving my arms up around his neck. "What about your brothers, mister?"_

_He grinned. "Darry's at work and Pony's at track."_

_"You planned this, huh?" I smiled and pressed my lips against his for a brief moment, only pulling away slightly to whisper, "I'm totally okay with that."_

_He pressed our lips together again and I could feel the grin still on his lips as he did so. We deepened the kiss, opening our mouths slightly and letting our tongues brush against each other's lightly. He pulled me into him, making my feet lift off the ground, and slowly, he inched his way over to the couch. We fell ungracefully onto it, breaking our kiss and making us laugh._

_He lay me down and half-straddled me, his one leg in between mine as he positioned himself next to me. He paused, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear and looking into my eyes. I felt like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Instead, he smiled and started kissing me again._

_I grabbed at his sides, my hands fisting his shirt tight against him. The butterflies this guy could give me were unbelievable. He deepened the kiss again, this time more so, and we did some exploring with our tonges. His hand started to travel down my hip and to my thigh, hitching up my skirt. I fisted his shirt even more, pulling his body against mine with fervor._

_I could feel every muscle in his stomach and chest as his hand trailed up my thigh and to my stomach. It stopped in the middle, his thumb just barely skimming the bottom-lining of my bra._

_

* * *

_

"Sandy,"—Jamie giggled—"I never knew about this side of you." She winked at me and giggled.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, well, no worries, because like you, his kid brother interrupted us."

* * *

_The front door slammed open, and I jumped, causing Sodapop to jump. "Sorry," Ponyboy mumbled, his ears awfully red as he quickly headed for the kitchen. _

_Sodapop chuckled and let his eyes travel down my body. He pulled down my skirt and leaned against me, hugging me. With one more kiss he pulled himself off and jumped up, helping me up as well._

_"Man," he started loudly enough for Pony to hear, and sent a wink in my direction, "I'm awful thirsty. Ain't you thirsty, Sandy?"_

_I giggled. Poor Ponyboy… Soda was going to embarrass the heck out of him. "Sure, Soda."_

_He grinned and grabbed me around my middle, carrying me into the kitchen. I giggled and whined the whole ten feet there, loving it. "Hey Pony," he greeted, setting me down on the counter._

_"Hi," Ponyboy mumbled back, opening a textbook._

_Sodapop went over to him and ruffled his hair. "Phew, kid. You stink. Ever heard of taking a shower?"_

_Pony's ears reddened. _

_Soda smirked and placed him in a headlock. "She ain't gonna care if you take a shower, Pony." He turned to me. "Are ya, Sandy?"_

_I shook my head. "No." I rolled my eyes. "Soda leave him alone."_

_Soda grinned and let go of his little brother, who promptly got up and left. Soda watched him go and walked over to me, opening my knees so that he could lean his body up against the counter. "You still thirsty?"_

_I shook my head at him, smiling as he leaned closer. "You're horrible."_

_He shook his head ever so slightly, a grin on his face, and pressed his lips against mine._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: So since only one person guessed at it, only once person got cookies. The piece of literature Jamie was thinking of in the last chapter was _Death Be Not Proud_ by John Donne.**

**Review! I'll love you forever. :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hinton owns.**

* * *

"His poor brother…"

I had to laugh too. Despite Soda loving the kid like nobody's business, he was always teasing him.

* * *

_His lips wandered down my jawline and neck. His hands pulled at my blouse, un-tucking it from my skirt, and found their way underneath. "Soda…" I mumbled. "You're brother is home."_

_His hands found each other and locked together as he pulled away and looked me in the eyes, grinning. "He's in the shower," he whispered._

_I listened as the water turned off and smirked. "Not anymore…"_

_He cocked an eyebrow and pulled me against him anyway, kissing me a few more times and letting his lips linger a little bit longer than the kiss before it. He pulled away and let his hands rest on the tops of my thighs, his thumbs dangerously close to somewhere they shouldn't have been. I smiled at his touch. "Sandy?" he whispered, tucking a piece of strand of hair behind my ear. _

_I bit my lip. "Yeah?"_

_"I-I think… I think," he started, stumbling over his words. Gosh, he was cute when he was nervous._

_Ponyboy walked in. "You got a stutterin' problem or somethin'?"_

_Sodapop shot him a glare and shoved him lightly in the shoulder. "Shut up…" He grinned. "At least I got a girl to stutter to," he told Pony, who gave him a look and opened a few cabinets._

_I giggled, kissed Soda's cheek, and slid off the counter._

"_You stayin' for dinner, Sandy?" Ponyboy asked, looking for something to make dinner with. He pulled out a container of breadcrumbs._

_I looked at Soda who smiled back, nodding his head yes. I shrugged and smiled as well. "Sure, why not."_

_Soda grinned. "Cool beans." He took the container from his brother's hands and opened the lid, peaking inside._

_Ponyboy scoffed, receiving a hair ruffle from Soda. "You been hangin' out with Two-Bit too much during school, I think."_

_

* * *

_

"Wait, wait, wait, _wait._ Who in the _world_ is Two-Bit?"

I laughed. "I forget you don't know these people… Two-Bit was a friend of theirs. He was a part of their gang."

Jamie shook her head in disbelief. "Did you just say gang?"

I nodded. Sodapop looked good on paper, yes, but that didn't mean he was perfect. Of course, having a boyfriend in a gang when you lived on our side of town wasn't anything special.

"Sodapop was in a gang?" Again, I nodded. "No, he's too good." She shook her head, refusing to believe it.

"Actually, he could have quite a temper when he wanted to. He loved fights."

She smiled, shaking her head. "I don't believe you."

* * *

_Soda was in the kitchen cooking, and Pony and I were in the living room doing our homework. I really wanted to be in the kitchen with Soda but he kept dragging me back out into the living room so I could finish my work. Said he wanted me free this weekend and he didn't want to be the reason I wasn't allowed out. He said he couldn't beat himself up if he was to blame for me not being allowed out to see him._

_Darry walked in the door, took off his shoes, and shrugged off his jacket. He nodded a greeting at me and nudged Ponyboy with his foot. "Hey."_

"_Hey Darry," Pony mumbled, not looking up._

_I smiled at him and closed my book. "Finished," I announced to no one in particular and got up, going to the kitchen to join Soda. He was standing in front of the counter, his hands resting against it, holding him up. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his middle. "I finished," I whispered, standing on my tippy toes so that he could hear me._

_He turned and wrapped his arms around me. "Good thing too. I was getting worried I'd have to help you or somethin'."_

"_What smells so good?" Darry asked as he walked into the kitchen. He stopped and looked at us. "Am I interruptin' something?"_

_Soda squeezed my sides and let go of me, making me laugh. "We were just celebratin' Sandy's finishin' up of her homework, Dar."_

_Darry raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"_

_Soda swallowed hard and leaned against the counter. "Yeah, Dar, she just finished."_

_Darry looked around. "What about you, little buddy? I don't see any of your books. You do your homework?"_

"_I didn't bring any home with me…" I started to walk out of the kitchen, suddenly wanting to join Ponyboy. Soda looked at me and I could see the light bulb turn on over his head. He was going to change the topic. "Sandy's stayin' for dinner if that's okay."_

_Darry rubbed his face, and looked at me. "You called your parents?"_

_I nodded. _

_He sighed and looked back at Sodapop. "We'll talk about this later. Set the table."_

_

* * *

_

Jamie cracked her gum and raised an eyebrow, smirking. "What's that all about?"

"You're about to see some of Sodapop's anger…"

* * *

_Dinner was eaten in relative silence. I could feel the tension between the three brothers and I wished I hadn't agreed to eat over. I was kind of mad at Soda for thinking he could use me as a shield. I pushed it to the back of my mind though as the two of us sat on the couch watching TV. I still had some time left before my parents would flip their lids about me not being home._

_Darry walked through the living room to get something out of his jacket, shooting pointed looks at Soda the entire time. On his way back, he tripped over some of Pony's books that were still lying on the floor. "Pony!" he yelled. "Get your butt in here right now and pick up these books!"_

_Ponyboy scrambled in and picked them up, placing them into a neat pile on the coffee table. "Sorry," he muttered._

"_You can't just leave your stuff all over the place, kid. There are other people that live here."_

_Soda tensed and shifted in his seat. "Aw c'mon, Darry… you're mad at me, not him." Darry shot him a look. "_What?_" Soda questioned, his eyes narrowing. "Just say it, Darry. We all know you got somethin' to say."_

_Darry let out a frustrated breath. "How could you just not bring your books home, Soda? You're failing as it is!"_

_Soda shot up. "Exactly, Darry… I'm failing! What's the point in doing my homework if I ain't gonna pass anythin' anyway, huh?"_

_Darry straightened, showing off his muscles, and looking ready to strangle him. "Kitchen. Now."_

_Soda put his foot down and gritted his teeth. "No, say it to me here."_

"_Sodapop. Kitchen. Now."_

"_No!"_

_Ponyboy got up and walked outside, cigarette already in his mouth._

Darry rubbed at his eyes, frustrated. "_You can't just drop out, Soda. I refuse to let you do it!"_

"_Dammit, Darry!" Soda punched the wall, placing a small dent in it and rattling the pictures on it. "I can dropout if I wanna!"_

_Darry crossed the room in two strides and grabbed Soda's arm, gripping it tightly. "Hey!" _

_Some words were exchanged and I finally decided it was time to join Ponyboy outside. I walked out, closed the door quietly behind me, and sat down next to Ponyboy. "This is an old fight, huh?" I greeted quietly._

_Ponyboy puffed on his cigarette and nodded. "How long's he been thinkin' 'bout this, Sandy?"_

_I shrugged. "It's the first time I'm hearing about it, actually."_

"_Really?" I nodded. "I would've thought he would've told you by now with the way he talks about you an' all."_

_I blushed and shook my head. "Nope, it's really the first time."_

_We fell into an awkward silence, listening to Darry and Soda fight. Words were exchanged and things were bumped into. "I'm not gonna pass, Darry! We need the fuckin' money anyhow, so let me!" we heard Soda yell and something dull hit the floor—books most likely._

"_We're fine, Soda! Stop worryin' and let me deal with it!" Darry yelled back. "You're gonna graduate and that's final!"_

"_We're not fine!" Soda yelled back and everything quieted down for a few moments. Pony laid down on his back and looked at the stars in an awkward angle, still smoking a cigarette. His brow was furrowed and I could see him thinking about it all._

_The door swung open and out stepped Sodapop, all of my things in his hands. "Fuck off, Darry," he yelled._

"_Soda, get back in here! We're not done with this!"_

_Sodapop ignored him and stalked off in the direction of Darry's truck. I mumbled a good-bye to Ponyboy and followed him to the truck, getting in beside him._

"_Soda?" I questioned, placing a hand on his arm. He turned to me and I was shocked to see his normally smiling eyes flaring with anger. "I… I still have time. Let's go cool off at the park or something, okay?"_

"_Sandy?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_I really fuckin' hate this…"_

_

* * *

_

"I see you don't scold him for cussin'," Jamie stated.

I laughed and swatted her arm, shaking a finger at her. "You watch it, Missy."

* * *

**I'm sick and reviews will make me feel better. :) Seriously. **


	10. Chapter 10

**I only wish I owned the canon stuff.**

* * *

_"Soda… pull over," I told him, placing a hand on his arm. He was driving like a madman, still fuming over his argument._

_"We ain't at the park yet, Sandy."_

_"Soda," I urged, scooting closer to him. "Pull over." He shook his head, staring straight ahead. I placed my hand on his leg and squeezed. "C'mon, baby, slow down and pull over."_

_He shifted his leg, shifting the weight from the gas to the brake and slowing down. _

_I nodded, urging him to continue slowing down. "Pull over," I whispered._

_He swallowed hard and turned the wheel, pulling over and placing the truck in park. "We're not at the park." He didn't even look at me as he said it._

_"That's okay. We're close enough." I made him face me and looked into his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to drop out?" He jerked his face out of my grasp and stared out the window instead. "Talk to me…"_

_"I ain't smart," he mumbled and jerked open his door, climbing out and slamming it shut. I just sat there._

_

* * *

_

"He slammed the door and you just sat there?" Jamie asked, chomping on her gum, her face twisted in confusion and disgust.

"No."

"Well then what'd you do?"

"It was one of those actions that hit you _after_ the fact. However, at the moment…"

* * *

_I slid over to his seat and opened the door following him out. He was leaning against the front of the truck, fumbling with a cigarette. I walked over to him and stood next to him, leaning against the truck as well. "It doesn't light itself you know… You have to strike a match or somethin'," I told him, a slight bite to my voice._

_He looked at it and scowled before throwing it angrily. "Thanks," he muttered._

_I crossed my arms over my chest, and huffed. He couldn't stand people being mad at him—that was half the reason for his cheerful and flirty disposition. The other half was just him being him. "You're welcome," I snapped and started to walk away. _

_"Where're you goin'?" he called after me. Soda was too easy._

_"The park." I smirked, although he couldn't see. All he saw was my shrug and the sway of my hips as I continued to walk away._

_I heard him kick the curb and trot after me. "Sandy, wait…" I stopped when I reached the entrance to the park and turned to face him._

_"We're at the park now Soda. You gonna talk to me?"_

_He scowled and walked past me, stopping at a nearby tree. "It ain't like that."_

_I walked over to him and placed my hands on his arms, frowning. "What's it like then, huh?" He didn't say anything; he just turned away from me. "Soda?" Still no answer. I stuck my hands underneath his shirt and scratched his back—he loved that. "Talk to me, baby…"_

_"Your hands are cold…" he told me._

_I moved my hands to his stomach and felt him shiver. "You're the one who wanted to get out of the truck."_

_His warm hands grabbed mine, and held them tight. "I'll make 'em warm then…" he replied._

"_Soda?"_

"_Hmmm?" He absently rubbed his thumbs against my fingers._

"_Talk to me."_

_He turned, letting go of my hands and facing me. "I'm failin', Sandy. There ain't no point in me stayin'…" He shoved his hands in his pockets._

_"That's not the only reason you want to dropout. I know you. If it were just grades you would've told me by now."_

_"What's the point of me stayin'?_

_"What's the point of you leavin'?" I countered and crossed my arms, sitting on the ground. It was cold._

_Soda sat down next to me. "We're sinkin', Sandy." He paused, looking up at the stars. "I still don't get what Pony sees in stars."_

_"What do you mean you're sinkin'?"_

_"We're sinkin'… financially… family wise… we're just sinkin'…" He paused, placing his head in the crook of his elbow. "This isn't how it's supposed to be." He was silent for a few moments. "I'm not goin' to college anyway. Ponyboy will—me an' Darry'll make sure of it. But Darry don't make near enough. We're runnin' out of money. Darry only makes about two thirds of what Dad used to make and we already cut into Mom's stash of emergency money from her job…" He punched the ground. "I might as well make myself useful. School isn't useful."_

_"Why didn't you tell me?"_

_He shrugged. "I want to be useful, Sandy. I'm not useful in school. I'm useful at the DX."_

"_No matter what you do, Soda, you'll be useful." I stuck my hand under his shirt again and started scratch his back, looking up at the stars and thinking about them. After a few minutes of silence, I spoke again. "They're mysterious. They can twinkle all they want, be studied all they want, but no one knows what they really are."_

_Soda lifted his head, looked at me obviously confused, and chuckled. "What're you talkin' about?"_

_"The stars. I don't know if that's what Pony sees in 'em, but that's what I see in 'em."_

_Soda put his arm around me. "Glory but you're freezin'!" I leaned against him, the hand previously scratching his back now tucked into the waist of his jeans._

_

* * *

_

Jamie smirked. "Hands… in his pants? Dang Sandy… in a public place too."

* * *

_"Sandy?" he whispered._

_"Hmmm?"_

_"You wouldn't think of me any different if I dropped out would you?" he asked. _

_I pulled away from him so that I could look at him properly. "No, I'd like you just the same."_

_He tucked a strand of hair behind my ears and kissed me. I could feel him shaking slightly as he pressed his forehead against mine. "Sandy?" he breathed._

_I placed my cold hands on his cheeks, steadying him as I kissed him. "Yeah?"_

"_I… uh…" _

_I kissed him again and chuckled slightly. "Out with it, boy."_

"_I love you."_

_

* * *

_

**Review? o.O**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Well, it's been a couple of weeks, huh? Sorry, loves. College + midterms + other fics + original fics + a retreat = busy Melissa. This took a while to piece together through all that. :P**

**Disclaimer: Hinton owns and I am jealous.**

* * *

Jamie's jaw dropped and she smiled excitedly, not making a sound but looking for all the world that she was squealing her heart out. "Sandy!" she gasped. "This Sodapop character is perfect. Why, why, _why_ did you not marry him?"

I tapped the bottom of her chin and smiled. "Close your mouth. Boys'll think the wrong thing."

She narrowed her eyes and complied. "I ain't on my knees, Sandy," she told me, making me chuckle.

* * *

_I tried calling Evie that night to talk—we always told each other everything. Not only had Soda told me he loved me, but he wanted to drop out. This wasn't petty gossip meant for lunchtime; this was something I needed to talk to her about. But when I called her house, her oldest brother, John, answered, told me she was being a "bleeding bitch of a broad", and that he didn't want me going through that torture. Said it was bad enough he, his dad, and his brothers had to deal with it for the night. _

_That was all fine and dandy, and I was glad John liked me enough to warn me, but I think I would've rather feared her so-called wrath than stand at my locker the next morning and listen to Patty drabble on about something I didn't care about._

_"… you know?" I heard Patty say suddenly._

_I nodded. "Yeah, uh huh," I replied automatically and continued to look past her. Soda was standing just outside the door, talking to Patrick Johnson about Lord knows what. I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to talk to Evie, and I wanted to talk to Steve. _

_Things last night with Soda had been all over the place. It seemed like one moment we were caught up in passion, the next moment we were caught up in awkward, the moment after that was caught up in anger, and then it ended with him telling me he loved me. I smiled as butterflies erupted in my stomach. He loved me…_

_I leaned against my locker, wondering where Evie was. I needed to talk to her about this. Steve had already told her that he loved her. They'd been real serious for a while now (being together for about a year), and Soda and me were just starting to get there at six months. He hadn't even hinted at the fact that he wanted to drop out to me, and that kind of got to me. If he loved me, then why had I not heard of anything before last night?_

_I watched Steve walk out of a door down the hall and wondered if he had known. I needed to talk to him… find out if I was the last one to know all this. And if I was, then I needed to talk to Evie and see if I was overreacting. I trusted Evie's opinions, and I always went to her for advice. We were a good team, the two of us._

"… _so glad you're okay with it," I heard Patty say. _

_My eyes snapped to her and I nodded automatically, smiling at her._

_She giggled. "You haven't been payin' attention to a word I've been saying, have you, Sandy?" _

_I shook my head no, smiling sheepishly. "What'd you say, anyway?"_

"_I told you that I went all the way with your boyfriend last night and that I was glad you were okay with it." She laughed. "At which point you nodded and smiled."_

_I blushed. "Sorry, I've got things on my mind, I guess."_

_She rolled her eyes, smiling. "Yeah, well that was obvious." She leaned in closer to me, holding her books tight against her chest. "Did you hear about the new kid in our French class?"_

_I rolled my eyes and smiled. "No, but I'm sure I will in French class."_

_She chuckled and started walking away. "I'll see you later, Sandy."_

"_Bye," I muttered and decided it would probably be a good idea to get my books out of my locker—the first bell was due to ring any minute._

_"Billy! Buzz off!" a girl—Evie—shrieked somewhere down the hall. "I don't go around tellin' your girlfriend when you're being an ass."_

_I laughed. Her brothers were the ones who taught her to not take shit from anyone, especially guys, and they were the ones who got yelled at. Evie was confident and she handled her problems accordingly._

_She rounded the corner in a huff and stopped, turning back to her brother, Billy. "Oh wait, that's right. You don't have a girlfriend for me to tell that to!" _

_I turned to face her, holding my books against my pivoted hip. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked over to me, a triumphant smile on her face. "What'd Billy do now?" I asked, being obligated to as a best friend._

_She folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes. "Caught Billy tellin' Steve that I was in bitch mode and that he should tread carefully."_

_"Oh…" Billy was a senior this year and the second youngest out of the four Carter kids. He and Evie liked to torment each other to no end._

_I looked past her to where Sodapop was still talking to Patrick and sighed happily. He loved me… but he also wanted to drop out. I frowned slightly._

_Evie followed my gaze and pushed my arm lightly. "Thinkin' of Prince Charmin', huh?"_

_I looked at her and smiled, grabbing her arm and pulling her closer to me. "Evie…" I whispered. "Last night, Soda told me he loved me."_

"_He did?!" she squealed, smiling obnoxiously and generally causing a scene. I blushed and clapped a hand over her mouth. She giggled, removing my hand. "Sodapop _loves_ you." She squealed again, quietly. "You did say it back, right?"_

"_Of course!" There were those butterflies again. "I love him, Evie…"_

_She frowned. "So why do you like that?"_

_I bit my lip. "He wants to drop out," I admitted. "I told him I wouldn't think of him any different and I won't… it's just, well, this is the first time I'm hearing about it. But that shouldn't matter, right?"_

_Her face faltered for a moment before she caught herself._

_"What was that face?" I asked skeptically._

_She forced a scoff. "What face?"_

_I raised an eyebrow. "Evie… look—" I stopped talking as Steve walked over and wrapped an arm around her shoulder._

_"Hey," he greeted and kissed Evie's cheek. "Look, baby, don't listen to what Billy was sayin'…"_

_She smiled and leaned into him. "You know just what to say, baby," she cooed, and whispered something into his ear, lacing her fingers with his._

_I cleared my throat. "Don't mean to break this up and all, but me and Evie were talkin'. So unless you can add on to as in why Soda's droppin' out, do you mind?"_

_Steve narrowed his eyes at Evie. "You told her?"_

_She narrowed her eyes right back. "No. Soda did. Last night."_

_"Why am I the last to know? I bet the new kid in my French class knew before I did, and he hasn't even been here a day yet!"_

_Steve held his hands up in the air. "Look, you should take this up with him, Sandy…"_

_I shook my head, pulling a face. "I can't. I told him it didn't matter last night. I can't just wig out now all of a sudden." I looked at Evie. "How come you didn't tell me you knew?"_

_She pulled a face and gave in, sighing. "I thought you knew and just didn't want to talk about it. Steve told me a few weeks ago…"_

_"Oh." Steve made to reassure me, but I shrugged him away, looking at Evie. Sodapop loved me, and I loved him, but I was the last one to know about a major decision. Evie nodded, sympathetic, knowing that it was a hit to my heart._

* * *

**Reviews keep me motivated during midterm week. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hinton owns _The Outsiders._**

* * *

"So what'd you do?" Jamie asked, a bit more serious than she had been… but that was soon lost. "I bet he had a reason for not telling you… Wait, is this the deceit you and Bobby were talkin' about before?"

"No."

She made an "o" with her mouth. "Oh. So what'd you do?"

"What any normal sixteen year old girl would do. I wrote him a note."

* * *

_I wished I had skipped French class and gone out with Evie for a coke like she had suggested, but no, I had to be good… because I was always the voice of reason in our friendship. I banged my head on the desk lightly. "Why, why, why…?" I muttered._

_"Why what?" I heard Patty ask, making me look up. She smiled, greeted me with a "Hey."_

_"Hi, Patty," I greeted, defeated. This was bugging me way too much and I still hadn't talked to Sodapop yet. I was afraid to, and his smile was so much brighter today now that it was off his chest, which only made me feel even worse for being upset over this. He did tell me, right? I could have still been in the dark about it all. I let my head hit the desk again. _

_"Well, _hello_…" I heard Patty say quietly, only it wasn't to me, and it was in her "Golly, but is he a hunk" voice._

_I looked up. Well, _hello_… _

_The new boy in our French class was a real looker, if I had to admit it, and it at least distracted me for a moment of what I was dealing with. He was standing in the front of the classroom, a notebook folded in between one hand and a pencil in the other._

_

* * *

_

"Sandy, you had a boyfriend," Jamie teased. "What were you doin' lookin' at other boys, huh?"

We shared a laugh, but for different reasons. "Hey, I didn't exaggerate about him before for no reason. He flirted with some of those girls right back, and if he could do that, then I could _agree_ with Patty on something."

* * *

"_Classe," Madame said, getting the whole class's attention. "Ceci est Michael, et il est nouveau."_

_Patty leaned across the isle from me. "What'd she just say?"_

_I shrugged. "Beats the heck outta me. I think his name is Michael." I couldn't wait until next year when I didn't have to take a language anymore—I barely knew my French numbers! It was a miracle I had a C in the class, but I think that was just because Madame was friends with my mom, and at times my mom could be a bit intimidating. I mean, I wasn't complaining, but Patty understood it on paper at least and she was still only pulling the same grade as me. She at least _passed_ her tests._

_Madame cleared her throat. "Patricia, Vous avez quelque chose que vous voudriez partager avec la classe?"_

_Poor Patty. "What?" she asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible, but only caused the class to emit a wave of giggling and whispering._

_Madame smiled, almost evilly as she tried to keep a copasetic composure. "Please sit in the front today, Miss Smith." She looked at the new boy, Michael, her expression softening a bit. "You can sit next to Sandy, just behind where Patty usually sits."_

_He nodded and started walking towards the desk, shooting Patty a smile as they squeezed past each other. More whispers and giggles. Patty always did know how to cause a scene._

"_Classe! Votre attention, s'il vous plaît!"_

_My face fell, as it did most days in this class. "What?" I muttered under my breath._

_Michael leaned over slightly. "She said, 'Class, your attention please!'"_

_I looked at him, smiling slightly, knowing my cheeks were burning with embarrassment. He was here all of five minutes and he knew what she was saying. Why could I not get it when I was in French for the past two? "Thanks," I whispered back._

_The teacher started talking in French again, only this time faster and even the smarter students were raising their eyebrows in confusion. She sighed, grabbed a stack of papers off her desk, and started over in English. "You're lucky to have come when you did, Michael," she said, passing back quizzes. "We're starting a new unit today; although, I'm not sure that's the best idea for some students." She stopped at my desk for a brief moment, giving me a pointed look as she placed our last quiz on my desk._

_I grimaced. F? I actually studied for that one… _

"_As I was saying…" Madame continued, but I tuned her out. I was too preoccupied with my grade and Soda telling everyone but me. _

_I opened my notebook to a fresh page and started writing… in English… to Sodapop. Like I said, I hated French._

'_Sodapop,' I wrote. 'So I failed another quiz in French. Who's winning on most failed language quizzes now? I think we might just be tied. Although I guess that doesn't matter much, huh? What with Madame giving me all those extra points. I bet you wish you'd of taken French instead of Spanish now, huh?' I paused and bit on my eraser. What to say, what to say? I was beating around the bush and that wasn't good._

_Michael straightened up in his seat and ran a hand tiredly through his brown hair. I couldn't tell if he was middle class or a greaser that didn't grease his hair, but that really didn't matter. I was just avoiding going into a more serious subject with this note._

_I placed the pencil to a new line on the paper. 'So . . . we need to talk.' There. I said it. Now I just had to explain myself. Sadly the pencil wasn't budging. _

_Michael leaned over. "__Qu'est-ce vous écrivez?"_

_I looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Uh, English?"_

_He chuckled silently and ran his tongue over his bottom lip absently. "I asked you what you were writing."_

_I squared my shoulders. "Notes," I whispered back matter-of-factly. _

_He stole a glance at Madame who was up at the board, writing something or another in big, curly letters. I couldn't tell you what a word of it meant. "For class, or for someone else?"_

_I huffed slightly. Why did he even care? "Someone."_

_He grinned, and pulled my failed quiz off my desk. "You know, I could help you if you wanted."_

"_What's the catch?"_

_He shrugged and smiled. "Be my friend?"_

_

* * *

_

Jamie burst out laughing. "What a line! Man, Sandy, you wouldn't believe how many times I've heard that one."

I shook my head. "I don't even want to know."

* * *

_I withheld a scoff, and settled for giving him an incredulous look. "Your friend? I don't know how much my _boyfriend_ would like that."_

_He made a face, and scoffed, waving the notion off. "Not like that. I'm new, remember?"_

"_Uh huh, sure." I rolled my eyes and turned back to the note._

'_How come I was the last one to know about you dropping out?' I wrote, and smiled. That wasn't so hard. 'I __don't__ care that you want to drop out. I just want to know why Steve knew __weeks__ before me. I mean you love me, right? You said it last night. So why'_

_The fire alarm went off suddenly and the sprinklers opened up on us. I jumped up; my heart was beating a thousand times a second in my chest as I tore the note from my notebook, shoved it into my skirt pocket, and linked arms with Patty as we hurried out of there._

_

* * *

_

"Well don't that just suck…"

"For my hair it did," I joked. "Got me out of class along with the rest of the school, though."

* * *

"_Sandy, Patty!" Evie called from the hill. She was standing there with Steve, both of them relatively wet. _

"_Hey," I greeted as we approached them. I looked at Steve; he was lighting a cigarette and scowling. "Why're you so sour?"_

"_Why don't you ask your boyfriend and Two-Stupid over there?" he replied and jerked his head to the right._

_I looked at the two of them skeptically. "Why…?" _

_He smiled bitterly. "Go on, go ask them."_

_I looked between Steve and the other two for a moment before going over to them. "So why's Steve so mad?"_

_Two-Bit grinned. "You happy to be out of class?"_

"_Yeah…"_

_He bowed slightly, and then motioned to Soda who also bowed. "You're welcome."_

"_You guys set the alarm off?"_

_Soda grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, don't tell no one though."_

_I smacked his arm. "You're an idiot, you know that?"_

_Two-Bit chuckled, and started to inch away. "Well, I'm just gonna go see a girl about a date tonight…"_

_I took the note out of my pocket and started folding it for some reason. "Yeah, bye, Two-Bit," I replied curtly and looked up at Sodapop._

"_You ain't really that mad at me, are you?" he asked, placing his hands on my arms and stepping closer to me. "C'mon, I got you out of French class. I know how much you hate that class."_

_I looked down at my hands. "I wrote you a note."_

_He let go of my arms and took the note from my hands, giving me a questioning look. "What's it about?"_

_I shrugged, biting my lip. "Just read."_

_He met my gaze and held it for a few moments before opening it. He chuckled a bit at the beginning, muttering, "Yeah, we probably are tied…" Then his brow furrowed. _

_I bit my lip, frowning. Maybe I shouldn't have written it._

"_Look, Sandy," he started._

"_Hey, Sandy!" a boy called from my left. Both Soda and I turned to see Michael coming towards us. _

_I managed a weak smile. "Hi, Michael," I greeted, resignedly. _

"_Who're you?" Soda asked, suddenly defensive. He must have caught the tone in my voice._

"_Ah, you must be the boyfriend," Michael said and stuck out his hand. "I'm Michael. I just moved here."_

_Soda slouched his shoulders slightly, and took his hand reluctantly after a skeptical glance at me. "Well, that's great an' all, but, uh, do you mind? We were kind of talkin'."_

_Michael cocked an eyebrow and opened his notebook before turning to me. "You forgot this," he said, handing out my failed quiz._

_Soda snatched it out of his hand. "Thanks. She appreciates it," he snapped. "That it?"_

_Michael narrowed his eyes. "No," he told Soda, and turned to me. "I was wonderin' if you thought about what I said."_

"_Thought about what?" Soda interjected, placing his arm around me._

"_Look, buddy, I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to her."_

"_I have a name, you know," I snapped and shrugged Soda's arm off my shoulder. "And no, I haven't thought about it, okay?"_

"_Why not?"_

_Soda put a hand out and stepped between us. "Look, I don't know what the hell either of you are talking about, but me an' my _girlfriend_ were talkin'. So _fuck_ off."_

_Michael glared at him, but walked away nonetheless. "Just think about it, Sandy," he called over his shoulder._

_

* * *

_

Jamie's eyes widened, amused. "Well. Someone's not happy…"

I laughed. "Yeah, well, ain't that the truth…"

* * *

_I smacked Soda on the arm. "Why'd you try to jump bad with him, huh? All he was doin' was asking me questions."_

"_Look, you're the one that wrote the note, you're the one that didn't seem to wanna talk to him, and I didn't like how the guy was talkin' neither. 'Scuse me for lookin' out for you, darlin'. Next time I'll let you handle 'im!"_

_I glared at him and crossed my arms. "He was returnin' my quiz, Sodapop. And all he was talkin' about was him helping me with French and in return all I got to do is be a friend to him. But I didn't _get_ to think about it. You know why?"_

"_Why?"_

"_Because all I've been thinkin' about how you say you love me, but I'm the last one to know everything!" I turned and stalked away, back over to Evie and Patty, and together we walked off the school grounds. Last period wouldn't miss us too much._

* * *

**A/N: Big thanks to aerodynamics and shutupandwrite for the French lessons. I only know _some_ Italian. And for those of you who notice the differences in dialect... there's a point. I promise.**

**Review, loves, review. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Hinton owns, man.**

* * *

"Okay, so you get on my case about skipping, but it was okay for you when you were my age?" Jamie shook her head, smiling. "Not fair…"

"Ever think maybe I'm trying to get you to learn from _my_ mistakes?"

She scoffed and looked away, before glancing back and smiling. "No…" I cocked my eyebrow and she waved me off. "Okay, so you skipped with the girls. What happened next?"

* * *

"_Well, hello, ladies…"Billy and Charlie Arnold were forever finding ways to annoy their sister. _

"_Can you two buzz off?" Evie snapped and threw a hairbrush at them._

_Evie and I were lying on our stomachs in her bedroom with a few of our friends. They were resetting their curls and Evie and I were scanning a magazine, looking at dresses. It was Saturday and we were going to have a girl's night—no boys allowed, just like we used to when we were younger. Not to mention Soda and I hadn't been on the greatest terms the last couple of days and Evie was being a good friend by giving up a date with Steve to hang out with me._

_Billy and Charlie ignored her and walked in anyway. "Alice," Billy greeted, waggling his eyebrows at her. She blushed and giggled._

_Evie huffed suddenly, annoyed by the two of them. "Why can't you two take a lesson from John and get girlfriends? Stop buggin' us."_

_Billy laughed and sat down between Alice and Betty. "We ain't buggin' ya, are we ladies?" They giggled, shook their heads no, and blushed, trying to cover their hair with their hands. Like that would do anything. "Ladies," Billy said, "you look beautiful."_

_Evie rolled her eyes, but I smiled. Billy could make me laugh sometimes…_

_Charlie sat on Evie's bed and kicked the magazine shut with his foot. "Ya'll goin' on a group date or somethin'?"_

_I shook my head no, and reopened the magazine. _

"_Well then what're ya'll getting' dressed up for?"_

"_We're goin' out. Just us girls," I told him, and turned the page. These dresses were way too expensive to buy and they weren't even all that nice looking. Why we were looking at them made no sense to me. Dresses like these belonged on girls like Margaret Fletch and Claire Rowe._

"_What? Ol' Soda and Steve getting on your nerves?"_

_Evie threw a curler at him and sat up. "Get out of here!" she yelled._

_Charlie smirked. "So who's getting on whose nerves?"_

"_That ain't none of your business!"_

"_It is if they're not treating you girls right," Charlie snapped and then casually took out his switchblade and started cleaning under his fingernails. Billy kept flirting with the other two._

_I rolled my eyes and sat up. "Me and Soda are in a fight. It's nothing you need to worry about, okay, Charlie?"_

_He smiled. "You let me know if I do…"_

"_Uh huh."_

_Charlie stood up, walked over to Billy and grabbed his arm, pulling him to his feet. They started out the door finally, but before they got out of eyesight, Charlie turned back around and looked at me. "I'm serious, Sandy. He hurts you and he can answer to me, ya dig?"_

"_Yeah. I dig."_

_

* * *

_

"Aw!" Jamie squealed. "Charlie's all protective of you…"

"Yeah, well, when you grow up with a guy's sister, you tend to get to know the guy. And since I was an only child for the longest time, Evie's older brothers treated me like I was their second sister."

"I wish I had an older brother…"

"I wished the same thing when I was your age." And it was true, too. The Arnold boys were great and all, but after I moved to Florida, I could have used a real older brother. One that would have made all those guys back then wish they hadn't ever called me a cooze.

* * *

_Later that night, Evie, Betty, Alice, and I were sitting in a booth at Jay's, finishing up our sodas. The place was packed and we were lucky we had even found our own booth, but the smoke-filled atmosphere was getting to be enough already. Don't get me wrong, smoke didn't bother us, but after a while we needed some fresh air. So we finished our sodas, paid at the register, and left to go walk around for a bit._

_The Ribbon was long and I personally enjoyed walking down it. So that's what we did for twenty minutes—we walked around. Alice and Betty were behind us, talking, and Evie and I were walking side-by-side not saying much. Sometimes we just didn't talk—we didn't always need to._

"_Hey, Evie," Alice said from behind us sometime later, "look who's here with your brothers."_

_The two of us turned and looked across the street. There was Billy and Charlie, standing around an old junker of a car, smoking. Steve was sitting on its hood as was Sodapop, and the four of them were talking. There were other people around the car, but I didn't know them that well nor did I care who they were._

_Steve looked across the street and caught our glances, then nudged Sodapop. Words were exchanged but I couldn't hear them; I only wished I could. "What do you think they're sayin'?" I whispered, and absently fiddled with my blouse. _

_Evie shrugged and cocked her head to the side, twirling her hair with her fingers. Of course she would make eyes at Steve._

_I rolled my eyes. "Well, c'mon. No boys tonight, remember?" Alice and Betty started inching away and I started to go with them. Evie reluctantly followed and I knew why. Upon seeing us start to move, Steve had hopped off the car and hastily made his way across the street and through traffic._

"_Hey, wait," he called and grabbed Evie's and my hands. "I know ya'll said this was a girl's thing tonight but can we cut in a bit?"_

_I dropped his hand. "Who's we?"_

"_Shit, Sandy, who do you think?" he replied, and rolled his eyes. _

_I narrowed my eyes at him. "I don't wanna talk to him."_

_Evie dropped his hand as well and took me over to Alice and Betty. "Sandy… you're going to have to talk to Soda sometime. Even if it's to break up with him."_

"_She's got a point, Sandy," Betty said, and Alice nodded, agreeing with her. I think it was pretty obvious the three of them really wanted to hang out with the boys for a little bit._

_I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. "Fine. I'll talk to him."_

_Evie smiled and pulled me back over to Steve. "Good," she said. "Prince Charming is annoying when he's missing you."_

_I rolled my eyes again, but still felt the hint of butterflies in my stomach from what she said. I really felt them when Steve looked across the street, scratched the back of his neck, and motioned for Soda to come over here. Billy and Charlie, of course, followed—er, well, passed—Soda to the others. _

_I took a piece of hair and started twirling it nervously. I'd been ignoring Soda since Wednesday afternoon and now I was wishing I hadn't. When he finally reached me, my finger was stuck in my hair._

"_Hey," he greeted quietly. _

_I twirled my finger even more, getting it more stuck than it had been. "Hey," I barely whispered, and winced, trying to untangle my finger._

_He grinned slightly, and reached out to untangle my finger from my hair. "Why're you so nervous?"_

"_I'm not."_

"_Uh huh," he mumbled, biting his tongue as he concentrated on the knot. "That's why you ratted your finger into your hair, right?"_

_I gave him a pointed look as he smiled. _

"_Sandy…" He untangled my finger and held my hand in his. "I'm sorry."_

_I bit my lip. Gosh but he could be so convincing with those eyes of his. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"_

_He looked away, dropped my hand, and walked over to the curb, balancing on it. "I don't know," he admitted, shrugging. "I just didn't want you to think of me differently, ya know?"_

_I walked over to him, stopped in front of him, and looked up into his eyes. "Why would I think differently of you?"_

_He shrugged again and hopped off the curb, evening our heights a tad bit. "Your parents already don't like me because I fight, and I like to kiss ya." At that he shoved his hands into his back pockets and smiled sheepishly. "I'm not smart, Sandy, and I'm not going places. I didn't want you to start thinking of my as some no count hood 'cause I was thinking of dropping out." He paused, and looked me in the eyes. "I mean... I love you, Sandy. I couldn't take losin' you over droppin' out."_

"_I'm not my parents…" I whispered, "and have a little faith in yourself, will ya? You're not dumb."_

"_If I'm so smart, then how come I didn't tell you sooner like a smart person would have?"_

_I shrugged. "Smart people make mistakes too, Soda. Look at your kid brother. You're always telling me about the stupid things he's doing."_

"_Yeah, well, that's different. I don't know how, but it is."_

_I smiled. "You're crazy, you know that?"_

_Soda smiled back and grabbed my hands. "I've been told that before," he said and pulled me closer, kissing me. "Hey, Sandy?"_

"_Yeah?"_

_He kissed me again. "I love you."_

_Butterflies erupted in my stomach. "I love you too," I whispered, and hugged him. God, I missed the feeling of his body against mine._

_He traced his thumb up and down the small of my back, making me shiver and melt against him at the same time. "Hey, Sandy?" _

"_Mmm?"_

"_Only Darry knows so far, but next week is my last."_

_I pulled away. He was really going through with it, and it made me want to cry for some reason. "He's actually letting you?"_

_Soda nodded, and then my eyes welled up. "Baby, don't cry…"_

"_But why so soon?"_

_He wiped away the few tears that managed to run down my cheeks. "You said it didn't matter if I did though. You said you wouldn't think of me differently."_

"_It's not that. I dunno, I just… I'm gonna miss seeing you in school, and we won't graduate together, and… and…" He placed his finger to my lip, and shushed me. I didn't know why I was getting so worked up over it. I guess I'd thought he'd finish out the year with me, and Evie, and Steve, and then drop out. I guess I'd thought he'd keep pushing it to a later date, or Darry would keep pushing it to a later date, and it would never happen._

_Soda put his arm around me. "C'mon, Sandy, let's go for a walk." I nodded and together we walked down The Ribbon, towards the shopping center. _

_After about five minutes of silence, I finally spoke up. "You're not dropping out just to help your family out, are you, Sodapop?"_

_He ran his free hand over his face and shook his head. "No. I'm not passing. I was only in school because Mom and Dad made me. I'd rather work on cars all day and get paid than work on cars for a period and get a grade. What's so great about grades anyway? They're just letters. An' half of us ain't gonna make it to college for one reason or another. I've got all three reasons out there behind me, so what's the point of graduating high school?" He stopped walking and leaned his back against a building, grabbing my hands and holding them as I stood between his legs. "An' I ain't gonna lie, we need the money. Darry's already got a second job. Roofing isn't so reliable, you know? So my dropping out and becoming full-time at the DX would help out the family too. Just… that wasn't my real intention for wanting to drop out, ya dig?"_

"_Yeah," I replied quietly._

"_I know that's real selfish and all, but glory, I can't help it that that's what goes through my mind."_

_I grinned slightly. "Yeah, that crazy, crazy mind of yours."_

_Soda pulled me closer so that I was leaning up against him. "You ain't mad at me, anymore?" I shook my head. "I love you, Sandra Marie Carter"_

_I kissed him. "I love you too, Sodapop Patrick Curtis."_

"_Yeah?" He kissed me._

"_Yeah," I replied and scrunched my face as I pressed my forehead against his._

"_Good."_

_

* * *

_

"Aw…"

* * *

**Review! :D Maybe you guys could even tell me what you like and what you don't like?**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Well, it's been a while. Sorry loves. But hey, I have a real nice long update for ya'll. :D**

**Disclaimer: Hinton owns; I borrow; you read.**

* * *

"That's all you have to say? Aw?"

Jamie nodded. "That's all I have to say." Well, that was new—the girl could talk anyone's ears off.

* * *

_I was leaning against the locker next to Soda's. It was his last day and we only had two more classes left. "I won't be able to do this anymore after today," I told him. "Ain't you gonna miss that?"_

_He sighed, grabbed a textbook, and closed his locker. "I wish you'd stop talkin' like that, Sandy." He let himself fall against the locker, and grabbed my books out of my hands. "It's not like you'll never see me, ya know."_

_I shrugged, and moved closer to him. "I know…"_

_He moved our books to one hand, letting them rest against his leg, and used his free hand to finger the bottom of my blouse. "But …?"_

_I bit my lip and grabbed his hand, noticing how his fingernails were dirty from working with cars in the previous period and how his knuckles were scarred from fighting. He pulled his hand out of mine, and placed it behind my neck gently before quickly kissing my forehead._

"_It'll all be fine, Sandy," he said and placed his palm against my cheek._

_I kept my eyes glued to my hands, and fiddled with the ends of the ribbon that I'd tied around my waist. I was bummed like you wouldn't believe. It was hard to see Soda after school on a school night. My parents didn't think I should be spending that much time with him. They didn't think it was good that we'd been going out as long as we had at our age. _

"_We won't see each other near as much," I told him finally. "You know my parents only like me seeing you on weekends."_

_The warning bell rang. "It's gonna be fine, darlin'."

* * *

_

Jamie straightened up a bit. "Was it fine?" she asked

"You'll see."

* * *

_I think I might have enjoyed French class more that day had it not been Soda's last day. Madame was sick, or was taking a break from us, or was out of town, or something like that, and we had a substitute teacher who couldn't care less. Paper balls were being thrown around in an impromptu game of catch, gum was being chewed like nobody's business, and people were sitting on desks, chatting up their neighbors._

_Soda had walked me to French class—something he didn't normally do—and I almost wished he hadn't because I knew he couldn't do it anymore. Patty was sitting on her desk, her feet resting on her seat, and she had a huge smile on her face. Michael was sitting on his desk as well, his feet resting on either side of hers, and he was grinning. It sickened me in a way … knowing I wouldn't get the choice to do that with Sodapop. We didn't have classes together this year, but we'd talked about taking the same classes next year, and I'd been looking forward to it, even if Sodapop _had_ forgotten about it. _

_Michael said something in French to Patty, and she giggled. I still didn't get it. The three of us had had conversations in _English_ all week, actually getting along, and they decided suddenly that they were going to become French. I'm sure if I understood even a little bit of French like Patty did, I'd be giggling about it too, but as everyone and their dog knew, I couldn't speak a second language to save my life._

_"Oh?" Patty questioned._

_Michael nodded. "I'm tellin' the truth."_

_They turned to me. "You think he's tellin' the truth, Sandy?" Patty asked._

_I shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about, honestly." I could also really care less as to what they were talking about and didn't care to find out. "I don't speak French, remember?"_

_Patty smiled. "Oh, right."_

_I nodded absently and started playing with the bottom of my skirt. The two of them were hitting it off just fine, and any other day I would have joined Patty in the conversation with a cute boy right away—especially one that I had gotten to know the tiniest but like I had with Michael—but I just wasn't feeling it today. Not when they were talking in a language I didn't speak, and I was in a weird mood. _

_Patty leaned in and whispered something in Michael's ear. He swung his legs around to rest on his own chair and looked at me for a moment, grinning slightly. He looked back a Patty. "You sure she won't hit me?"_

_Patty giggled and gave his arm a playful shove. "Just do it."_

_Michael shrugged and slid into his seat before scooting the desk closer to mine. He nudged my knee with his own and made me look into his eyes. "Hey, Sandy?"_

_"What?"_

_He grinned, rubbed his knuckles over his bottom lip, and stole a glance back at Patty. "Two questions." _

_I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"_

_"Will you smile for me?"_

_I shook my head. "Not for you."_

_He chuckled and looked at Patty again. She was giggling into her hands. "Will you smile for Patty?"_

_I shook my head again. I hated smiling when I was asked to which is why picture day used to be so horrible for me when I was a kid. I never smiled in any pictures and everyone I knew loved to tease me about it. When Evie showed Sodapop a few months ago, he poked my sides, making me laugh somethin' awful, and told me he had come up with a solution to my problem. He told me: "I'll just have to tickle you every time someone takes a picture of you."_

_Michael nudged my knee again. "One more question."_

_I tucked a loose curl behind my ear. "Alright, shoot."_

_"__Ê__tes-vous chatouilleux?" he whispered_

_"What?"_

_"I said: __Ê__tes-vous chatouilleux?" He grinned, and looked back at Patty who gave him a nod._

_"Michael, you know I don't spe-" Suddenly his hands were at my sides, tickling me, and I let out an involuntary squeal of laughter. "Stop," I begged between laughs. I was trying to keep my laughter to a minimum, or at least quiet. We were quickly becoming a spectacle, and it probably didn't help that I had stood up in an attempt to get away from him._

_He kept at it, and despite my laughter, I was starting to get mad. Soda waited until the third date to give me a peck on the lips whereas we'd only known each other for about two weeks and I only talked to him when Patty talked to him. Granted, it'd been a lot in the past week, but I still didn't consider us friendly enough for that._

_"Stop!" I slapped his cheek, pushed him away, and huffed as I walked away. The whole class had gone silent and I didn't even care. Two-Bit was coming in as I was storming out and I didn't even think to ask why; I just kept on my path to the bathroom._

_No one was in it when I went to the bathroom and I was glad for that. Girls ratting their hair and smoking wasn't my idea of a good break from the monotony of classes. I probably could have gone for a cigarette though; it was one of the things Soda and I had in common—smoking when something was bothering us. Though, he was usually upset, and I was usually mad, like now._

_I leaned against a stall and took a few calming breaths. Michael was just joking around, and it got a little out of hand for my taste. Evie or Patty would have been fine with that sort of attention, but not me. Never me. I was conservative compared to the almighty Evie and the darling Patty._

_I looked down and smoothed out my skirt automatically. It was what you'd call a nervous tick, I guess. I was always smoothing my skirt when I didn't know what to do. I had actually tried to look my best today. I mean, call me crazy but I wanted Soda to remember how good I looked the last day he was in school. _

_Rubbing my hand against my forehead and sighing, I took a look at my reflection in the mirror and headed back to class. Two-Bit had been walking in as I was walking out and I was starting to get curious as to why he was walking in. He wasn't exactly studious enough for a teacher to trust with a note._

_So I made my way back slowly, letting my fingers slide against the lockers and go numb with the vibration. Patty was looking out of the classroom, biting her lip. _

_"You'll split your lip if you bite any harder," I told her and walked towards the door._

_"Um, Sandy?" She looked a little nervous. "We were just joking around back there. I told him it was a surefire way to get you to smile. I didn't think you'd react like that."_

_I shrugged and started to walk past her. "Why are you waiting out here anyway?"_

_"Well …" she started, but didn't finish. Sodapop was leaning against my desk, looking dangerous, and Two-Bit was sitting in my seat, looking slightly amused as he flipped through my notebook. Michael was sitting on his desk, sucking air through his teeth, staring back at Soda._

_Two-Bit looked up and grinned. "Well, howdy, Sandy," he greeted and held up my notebook. "Mighty interestin' notes you got here."_

_I grinned slightly. "Thanks …" I wasn't really paying attention to him; I was looking at Soda. Two-Bit was always skipping, and although Sodapop had been known to do it a few times in his day, he wasn't known for doing it all the time. And he especially wasn't known for dropping in on other people's classes. "Hey, Soda," I greeted and squeezed his hand._

_Two-Bit chuckled and nodded his head at Michael. "Michael was just enlightenin' us on how his cheek got so red, weren't you, Michael?" My eyes shot to Michael's cheek, and Two-Bit was right—it was red. _

_Michael glared at him. "I told you I was just messin' around."_

_Soda straightened up. "Yeah, with _my_ girlfriend."_

_Michael held his hands up in surrender. "I told you it didn't mean anything, buddy."_

_Soda narrowed his eyes. "Make sure it stays that way," he told him, his voice low. He squeezed my hand back and looked at me. "Me an' Two-Bit are skippin' last period. You wanna come?"_

_I looked from Soda, who still looked mad, to Two-Bit, who was grinning, to Michael, who had an indifferent expression, to Patty, who was still biting her lip raw. "Sure," I finally said, and shrugged._

_Two-Bit hit Michael on the head with my notebook, and grinned, following Soda and I out into the hall._

_I waited until we had successfully made it to Two-Bit's car and were driving out of the parking lot before I broke the silence. "How'd you know what happened? It's not like I was gone that long."_

_I was sitting between the two boys, both of them grinning. "You didn't see me," Sodapop explained. "I was behind the door when you stormed off. I was gonna follow you, but then I remembered who was in your class, and went to, uh, talk to him."_

_Two-Bit chuckled. "You sure slapped him good, huh, Sandy? Geez, remind me to never tickle you when you're in a bad mood."_

_Soda reached past me and smacked him upside the head. "Man, you better not tickle her anytime if you know what's good for you."

* * *

_

Jamie leaned her elbow on the counter and placed her head against her hand. I wish she wouldn't. It was very unflattering considering the distance of the stool from the counter. "So where'd ya'll end up skipping to?" she asked

"We ended up at Soda's house for a while."

"All three of you, huh?"

"For a little bit, yes."

* * *

_Two-Bit stood up suddenly, grabbing his jacket and putting it on. "Shit. I forgot I offered Kathy a ride home," he said and paused at the door. He grinned and looked back at us. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do now." And with that, he winked and let the door slam behind him._

_I shook my head and laughed. Only Two-Bit. Actually, only Sodapop. He kissed my jawline, giving me butterflies. "Soda …"_

_He grinned and kissed me on the lips. "What?" he whispered. "Two-Bit wouldn't just sit next to a pretty girl without putting the moves on her." He kissed my lips again, and I gave in slightly, kissing him back. I could feel him grinning against my lips and I pulled away. _

_"So you're only doing this because Two-Bit said what he said, huh?"_

_Soda shook his head and leaned into me, kissing me again. We shifted so that my back was against the armrest and he was essentially on top of me. "Me? Listen to Two-Bit? You're crazy."_

_He kissed me again and we continued to make out until the phone rang a little while later. Soda rolled off of me and hopped up, grabbing the phone. I sat there and fixed my blouse as he talked—Soda tended to have roaming hands._

_Soda hung up the phone and headed for the kitchen. "Hey, Sandy, you want somethin' to drink?"_

_"Sure," I replied and fixed the bow I had tied around my waist._

_I heard the fridge open and close, the sound of glasses clinking together, and sound of a spoon being pulled out of a drawer. "Chocolate milk okay? It's all we have right now."_

_I laughed. The way he and his brothers consumed food, I was surprised there was even milk in the fridge. "Yeah, that's fine."_

_He laughed. "Good, because I already started making it."_

_I shook my head and stood up, heading for the kitchen. I walked in, and Soda turned and knocked a glass over, making the milk in it spill all over the place. "Shit!" he muttered. I laughed. He had chocolate milk dripping down his shirt and his pants._

_I put a hand to my mouth, trying to cover my laughter. "Darry is going to kill you …"_

_He grinned and took the glass that hadn't spilled, taking a gulp. "Shuddup," he told me, still grinning._

_"Aw, but you love me." I took the glass from him and drank some as well._

_He took a step forward, avoiding the milk on the floor. _

_I took a step back, and took another sip. "Darry's not going to be happy with you if you get any of that in the living room …" I teased. "Chocolate milk doesn't come out of carpets, you know."_

_Soda stopped short and looked down. He wasn't dripping it anymore, but he was still wet. "Aw, c'mon, Sandy, you can share, can't you?"_

_I shook my head and took another sip. "I really, honestly can't," I told him, and giggled._

_He grinned and said, "That's it," before chasing after me._

_I let out a playful shriek and ran down the hall, ending up in his and Pony's room. Soda came rushing in afterwards and I held out the glass in surrender. "Don't you dare come near me with those chocolate milk soaked clothes."_

_He smirked and peeled off his shirt, tossing it into the hall behind him. "Fine. Shirt gone. Can I come near you _now_?"_

_I shook my head, giggling. "Nope. I like this outfit way too much for you to get it dirty."_

_He walked closer to me, grinning, and I backed up until the backs of my knees hit the bed. "You know, Sandy," he said, "you look real good in red." He took the glass out of my hands and placed it on his nightstand. _

_I stopped him from moving any closer and shook my head. "Uh uh, you're not getting any closer when your pants are the way they are."_

_He grinned devilishly, and unbuttoned his pants. "Fine," he said and pulled them down, exposing his boxers and socks, "pants are no longer an issue."_

_I put a hand to my mouth, and looked him up and down. I'd never seen him with so little clothing. His fine muscles were even more apparent without fabric, and Sodapop was even more attractive than he usually was. My stomach was suddenly full of butterflies. "Nope," I said, "it would seem that they aren't."_

_He took a step closer to me, placing his hands on my hips. "And that means getting your nice red skirt, and your nice white blouse with the red ribbon around the waist dirty is no longer an issue."_

_I placed my hands on his bare chest and leaned against him, rising on my tippy toes to kiss him. He in turn slid his hands to the small of my back and pressed me closer against him as he returned the kiss._

_We kissed a few more times before deepening it, and letting our tongues explore each other's. He held me tight and placed a knee on his bed before lowering me down onto it, and lowering himself half on top of me. His hands began to wander, and I let them—it wasn't like it was the first time he'd done it. But when he started unbuttoning my blouse, I felt a surge of nervousness and butterflies. It wasn't the first time, but I knew we were heading for something I'd never experienced before._

_Still I let him, and I enjoyed it—the way he held me, the way he kissed me, the way his body felt pressed up against me, and the way I could feel his adrenaline rushing by the fast beat of his heart. My skirt was bunched up, and his right hand was making it's way down my waist to my hip and finally underneath my skirt. His fingers tugged at my underwear, sliding them down ever so slightly, and my mind started racing. Was I ready for this? We were in love, but was I ready for this? He knew what he was doing, but what if —?_

_The sound of the front door being opened pried us apart in the matter of a second. Soda rolled off the bed, grabbed clean pants and a clean shirt from a drawer and started shoving them on. I sat up and buttoned my blouse quickly, retying the ribbon around my waist. I started fixing my hair—it was sure to be messed up—and took a look a Soda. He was buttoning his pants, and as Evie liked to say, was slightly, uh, happy._

_He held out his hand, pulled me off the bed, and together we walked down the hall, towards the living room._

_No one was there, so I leaned up against the wall, still feeling butterflies. Sodapop put a finger under my chin and raised it so that he could kiss me again._

_"Jesus, Soda," we heard Ponyboy say, and we broke apart. He came out of the kitchen with a few old rags, sopping wet with chocolate milk. "You couldn't clean up?"_

_Soda and I smiled sheepishly. We had gotten a bit distracted, and even though I'm positive I was blushing, Ponyboy seemed to be a bit too distracted himself to notice. He walked past us and dumped the rags in the bathroom sink, soaking them with water. Soda and I watched as he washed them out, rung them out, and then dropped them in with the rest of the laundry. He looked … upset. His brow was furrowed, and he was irritable—it was pretty obvious even to me._

_"You okay, Pone?" Soda asked, finally. "The school called and said you'd skipped last period." I guessed that he was talking about the phone that had first interrupted us._

_Johnny slipped inside the door, bringing in the scent of smoke with him. Soda nodded an acknowledgement at him. "Hey, Johnnycakes."

* * *

_

"Johnnycakes? Who's Johnnycakes?"

I laughed and shook my head. "_Johnny_ was a friend of theirs'. He was Pony's best friend."

Jamie laughed. "You can't just forget to explain these things Sandy."

* * *

_Ponyboy looked away, and threw his jacket off._

_"Pone…?" Soda inquired, and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Where ya been?"_

_ "Why do you care, Soda?" He looked over at my spot against the hall wall. I stopped fixing my skirt and froze. I knew what that look meant, and I didn't appreciate it._

_Soda turned Ponyboy around and made him look up. "What's that supposed to mean, kid? I was just asking."_

_"It means that you probably don't want me home right now. It's pretty obvious you two skipped as well." Ponyboy jerked out of his grip, gave me one last look, and headed outside quickly._

_Soda narrowed his eyes and stormed after him. "Hey! You know better than to talk like that!" He disappeared out the door and let the screen slam shut behind him. Shouting could be heard between them as Soda followed after him, but it wasn't necessarily fighting. I suppose there was too much distance between them to talk normally, and after about a minute, it faded out. _

_I walked over to the couch and sat down next to Johnny, crossing my legs underneath me. He smirked the slightest bit, and I knew what he was thinking. Was it that obvious? "Nothing like what you're thinking happened, just so you know." And it was mostly the truth. We hadn't gone all the way, and that's what he was probably thinking._

_"Okay," he said, and that was the end of the conversation. The guy didn't talk much in my experience, and we ended up watching TV in a somewhat comfortable silence.

* * *

_

_"_I can't believe Ponyboy said that. He seemed like a sweet kid."

I gave Jamie a knowing look. "I'm sure you've said things without thinking before."

She smiled sheepishly. "I apologized to Bobby…"

"And Ponyboy apologized to me later that night."

* * *

_Sodapop walked back into the house a little while later, his expression void of any real emotion. He ran a hand over his face, and stopped, resting his hands on his hips and looking at the two of us on the couch. He grinned slightly. "Johnny … she don't bite."_

_I looked over at Johnny. He was sitting as far away from me as possible without being pressed up against the armrest uncomfortably, and was grinning ever so slightly. "Aw, shuddup, Soda. If I were any closer you'd be tellin' me to back away."_

_Soda laughed and sat next to me, placing his arm around my shoulders. "What're ya'll watching?"_

_Johnny and I shrugged. Honestly, I didn't even know. I never watched TV afterschool on a Friday. Johnny stood up. "What happened to Pony?"_

_"He's outside, smoking."_

_Johnny nodded and walked outside, and I took the opportunity to snuggle closer against Soda, adjusting my legs. "So what was that all about, Soda?" I asked quietly._

_He cleared his throat and stared straight at the TV. "He hates that I dropped out. And, uh, today is three months. He was at the cemetery with Johnny."_

_"Soda …"_

_Soda cleared his throat again. "He didn't mean anything by the look or comment either, Sandy. He's awful sorry about that. He's just … I mean … it's a bad day, ain't it?"_

_"Soda, I'd understand if you want to spend time with your brothers."_

_He didn't say anything for a while. He just rubbed the thumb of one hand in tiny circles against my arm, and drummed the fingers of his other on the couch. _

_After a few minutes, I spoke up. "Soda?" _

_He shrugged. "I don't want to visit their graves. I hate the cemetery."_

_"But they're your parents," I reasoned._

_"Drop it, Sandy," he told me. _

_"Bu-"_

_He pulled his arm away and placed his hands on his lap, cracking his knuckles in a nervous fashion. "Sandy. Just drop it, okay?" _

_So I dropped the matter, and together we mindlessly watched TV.

* * *

_

**Review? Let's see if we can break 100 with this update, yeah? :D**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: It's been too long, I know. I apologize. I'll get better with updating. I have a system now. Swearz.**

**Recap: Michael tickled Sandy, Sandy slapped him, left, came back to find Soda and Two-Bit givin' Michael a hard time, then Sandy, Two-Bit, and Soda skipped, then Two-Bit forgot to pick Kathy up and left, then Sandy almost lost her v-card, and then Pony interrupted and was all upset which got Soda upset. Johnny also made an appearance.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

* * *

"Soda didn't wanna talk, huh?" Jamie asked seriously.

I shook my head. "Soda didn't like to dwell on things for too long."

"Oh." Jamie looked to her lap and fiddled with the hem of her uniform dress. "Have these uniforms _ever_ changed?"

I chuckled. "No. They haven't. I've been wearing one of these since I was your age, love." And it was true. I still had my original uniform back home; it was in the closet in a box next the hospital bracelet I was given when I gave birth to my baby girl. Emmer. I was going to name her Emmer.

It was Jamie's turn to chuckle. "How many uniforms have you had, anyway?"

"Oh, quite a few," I told her, straightening out the skirt of my uniform. It was smaller than the first one I received. Back when I had first came to Florida I was still barely showing, but that hadn't stop the original owner from giving me a rather large uniform and telling me he knew "I'd grow into it." I wouldn't have stayed if it hadn't been for the fact that this diner was just about the only place that would hire me and treated me with slight decency. But, looking back on it, I'm glad I did. This place was home to me.

Jamie held on to the sides of her stool and twirled in her chair. "Okay. So. Soda's not talking, that Pony kid is depressed or whatever, and you almost lost you v-card. What happened next?"

* * *

_Soda and I ended up falling asleep on the couch, and when we came to, Darry was sitting at the kitchen table, concentrating hard on a napkin._

_Soda shifted underneath me and stretched. "We fell asleep, Sandy."_

_I shook my head slightly, smiling. "I know," I told him quietly, careful not to disturb Darry with whatever he was doing. Then Soda yawned, and that made me yawn too. _

_"Darlin'," Soda chuckled out, getting my attention again._

_"What?" I wish I could have just gone back to sleep; Soda was so comfortable and warm to lie against._

_He reached forward, wiping under my eyes and laughing at the face I made. "Your make up is all smeared."_

_I pressed my forehead against his shoulder, grinning and placing my hands on his hips. "That's what I get for sleeping with ya, I guess."_

* * *

"Wait." Jamie stopped me, holding her hands out like she was prepping to fall flat on her face. "I thought you said his brother interrupted you!"

My brow furrowed for a split second before I realized what she was talking about. "Jamie, there was no sexual connotation intended."

She blushed. "Oh …"

* * *

_"What time is it anyway?"_

_Soda shrugged, said, "Beats me," and patted my hip, gesturing for me to sit up. "I'll go check."_

_I grabbed his hand as he stood up and tugged, wanting him to pull me up with him. Soda turned and grinned, grabbing my other hand and pulling me up and into him. "It's probably about time you got home, huh?" he asked quietly as he placed a hand at the back of my neck and kissed my forehead. _

_I sighed and shrugged. Going home wasn't something I really wanted to do, but I guessed I had to. I hadn't been home since I'd left for school and I hadn't called either; I was just asking for a lecture from my dad about me not letting him and Mama know where I was._

_Soda let go of me and headed into the kitchen. "Hey, Dar," he greeted quietly and squeezed his shoulder. But Darry didn't move, and Soda stopped to look at him, like he was trying to figure out why Darry wasn't even moving and what was so damn interesting about that napkin at the same time. I decided that was their moment though, and walked down the hall to the bathroom because I felt like I was intruding._

_Soda was right—my make up _was_ smudged. I grabbed some toilet paper and fixed it the best I could, trying not to listen to the silence coming from the kitchen. It seemed louder than the radio. _

_"Darry, the kitchen clock's broken again," I heard Soda say as he made his way down the hall. _

_I stuck my head out the bathroom doorway and grinned at him. "No luck on the time, then?"_

_Soda shook his head, grinning back. "Luckily me an' Pone got a clock in our room." He grabbed my hand and pulled me along to his room. "C'mon, I might need help readin' the time or somethin'."_

_I giggled as we reached his dark room and left the light off. "Or somethin', huh?"_

_He nodded, placing his hands against the small of my back and roughly pulled me against him, kissing me. "Yeah," he said, smirking, "or somethin'." I bit my lip for a moment, admiring him in the moonlight before pressing my lips against his._

_Soda somehow managed to kick the door shut with his foot and toss me gently on the bed all in one motion. And there was a glint in his eye as his body followed mine to the mattress—what that glint meant exactly, I wasn't quite sure, but it was there. _

_He kissed me roughly—needy and passionate—something that I'd never experienced from him or any other boy before. "What about Ponyboy and Darry?" I asked as he moved his lips down my jaw line and his hands started untying the ribbon around my waist and unbutton my blouse._

_"What about them?" he mumbled into my collarbone._

_One leg was wrapped around him and I was starting to pull at his shirt, wanting it off so I could feel his muscles better. "Where are they?" I managed to gasp out. He'd managed to unbutton my blouse, and his hands were all over me, making me buck against him. Forget him answering, I thought, I didn't want him to stop._

_He stopped for a moment and hurriedly pulled off his shirt, barely skipping a beat. I could feel him against me, and I couldn't help but let my fingers trace a line down his back towards the waist of his jeans. My heart was racing, as was his, but it was different for me. Sure, I'd stuck my hands in his jeans pockets before, but I'd never actually touched … him._

_His lips were against mine again, and I could feel Soda smiling as my hands made their way to his jeans button. He shifted slightly and unbuttoned his jeans, kicking them off somewhat before grabbing the hand I'd placed on his stomach and guiding it downwards. I looked down at him, and then into his eyes. Soda leaned in again, kissing me with more fervor than he had been before, and let out a little moan when my hand finally touched his … well, you know._

_His kisses traveled down my jaw line again as he guided me through the motions, and then I saw the clock. I jerked away. One-thirty in the morning?! "Soda," I shrieked, and Soda jerked away from me, looking at me with concern. _

_"What?" he asked. "What's wrong? Was I going too far?"_

_I shook my head wildly, fixing my bra and motioning to the clock. "My parent's are going to kill me! Curfew was an hour and a half ago!"_

_Soda cursed and fumbled to get his clothes back on before grabbing me by the elbow and pulling me out of the room and down the hall. _

_"Keys, Soda," I hissed and shoved my feet into my shoes, still fumbling to button my blouse. _

_"Right right," he mumbled and grabbed them before leading me out the door and to the truck._

* * *

Jamie started laughing. "Jesus Christ! Soda just kept getting cock blocked, huh?"

"Jamie," I warned, but she kept giggling anyway.

"Sorry," she managed to gasp through her laughter, "sorry … it's just … that's got to suck." She snorted, stifling back a giggle. "Go on, I'll stop."

* * *

_Soda parked the truck and turned off the engine, crossing his arms over the wheel and placing his forehead against them. I straightened my skirt nervously for a few seconds before catching his eye. He was grinning at me. "I love you," he said, and reached out to nudge my arm. "C'mon, let's go face the music."_

_I stopped fidgeting and looked at him, confused. "You're coming in with me?"_

_He chuckled. "Why wouldn't I? It's half my fault."_

_I shrugged, smiling at him. "I just didn't expect you to was all."_

_He smiled and opened his door, climbing out. I did the same and waited for him to make his way around the truck to me. "Ready?" he asked, grabbing my hand. I nodded and together we walked up the walk and porch steps, stopping at the door. I reached for the handle slowly, wanting to fall back asleep on the couch with Sodapop and not wanting to hear the yelling that was sure to occur._

_I had barely cracked the door open when it was suddenly yanked out of my grip and pulled open. I don't think I've ever seen my dad look so mad or my mom so upset. "Sandra Marie Carter, where the _hell_ have you been?"_

_Soda didn't let go of my hand. "I fell asleep at Soda's," I told them as we walked in._

_My dad looked at us, noticed that we were holding hands still, and then narrowed his eyes. "You didn't tell either of us that you'd be there. Not even Evie knew where you were."_

_"I forgot to call..."_

_"Where were you?" he demanded._

_"I told you. I was at Soda's!" I defended and let go of Soda's hand, choosing to cross my arms over my chest instead._

_My dad's face turned red, and I knew he was about to explode. I started to prepare myself, tensing up, when I felt Soda's reassuring hand on the small of my back. "Sir," he said, "we really did fall asleep. Honest."_

_"Don't lie to me boy," my dad growled._

_Soda tensed. "I ain't lying. We fell asleep."_

_"Daddy, it's the truth."_

_"Is it?" he challenged. We nodded. "You really ought to learn to lie better."_

_"But—"_

_"But nothing!" he yelled. Well, I knew he was bound to explode sometime. "We called the house, and we called Evie who said she had no idea where you were or who you were with, but that's all a bunch of lies, isn't it?" I swallowed hard, looking up at him, and stayed silent. "Isn't it?!"_

_"No! It's the truth!" I wanted to cry. I hated being yelled at for something I didn't do. Not tonight. Not when so many things had happened and almost happened today._

_"Bullshit!" he yelled and I heard my little sister start to cry from her room._

_"Now look at what you've done, Sandy," my mother spat. I'd forgotten she was even there in the room, and I definitely didn't appreciate the comment. _

_"Daddy, come _on!_ We fell asleep for crying out loud. That's all!"_

_Mama came back in with Linda, bouncing her up and down, trying to get her to stop crying. _

_My dad rubbed his face, frustrated and mad. "Don't lie to me!"_

_Soda stepped forward, and I felt my eyes widen. His shirt was on inside out. And when I glanced down, I noticed he wasn't even wearing shoes; he was still in his stocking feet. Please don't notice, I thought desperately. "Sir, we're not lying," Soda told him firmly._

_I looked down at my own appearance and noticed that my ribbon was gone, lost between the mess of sheets on Soda's bed, and I had skipped a button on my blouse, making it crooked._

_Both my parents noticed. "Then explain your wardrobe, kid."_

_ "Huh?" He looked down, noticing his shirt and missing shoes. "I spilled chocolate milk on me this afternoon and had to change; I didn't even notice my shirt was inside out. And we were in such a hurry to get here, I forgot to put on shoes." Soda didn't skip a beat, and I was impressed. He told me Pony had the lying skills in his family; I didn't know he could was just as good._

_My dad raised an eyebrow at him, and my mom shot him a glare before tending to Linda again. "I underestimated you, Soda," my dad said, flashing him a shit-eating grin. _

_Soda's lips twitched a response. He was getting mad, but I hoped he would keep it under control._

_"I think you underestimate us more, though." Daddy jerked his chin at me. "Now explain her wardrobe."_

_Soda turned and looked at me, squeezing his eyes shut as he mouthed a curse. "Sir, we really did fall asleep," he said, and I knew I had praised his lying skills too quickly._

_"Bullshit!" my dad yelled, grabbed Soda by the collar of his t-shirt and kicked him out of the house. "You no good piece of shit! Taking advantage of my daughter like that!" he yelled after him into the night. "Get out of here!"_

_I pouted, walking to the door to see Soda hopping into the truck and driving off, pissed as all get out._

_"Daddy, we fell asleep!"_

_He pushed me away from the door, fuming. "After doing what exactly?" he barked._

_I flinched. "We were—_

_"After fooling around?" My dad slammed the door shut and pushed me towards the hallway roughly. "I never thought I'd have a fucking whore for a daughter."_

_My jaw dropped. That hurt. That hurt a lot. I hadn't even had sex yet at sixteen whereas plenty of other girls I knew had had sex when they were fourteen. "But—"_

_"Room. Now. You're grounded." He looked away from me, his hands on his hips, still fuming and red in the face._

_I looked to my mom for some support. A small smile or even a blank look would suffice, but she looked disgusted as she stared me down. "Go," she mouthed, her eyes narrowed. _

_I picked up a frame holding our family portrait and slammed it face down on its table. Sometimes I really hated my family._

* * *

**Please review if you have the chance. I apologize for the lack of updates, but I really am feeling down on my writing at the moment, and as I'm sure you all know, encouragement helps.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Big thanks to Allison for helping me something Evie says (she knows what it is :P ), Jenny for telling me the French numbers, and Natalie for kicking my butt into gear. Apologies for any mistakes—I'm tired but really wanted to get this out, so feel free to point them out to me.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

* * *

"I can't believe your parents," Jamie said seriously, "my parents would never call me that."

I smiled gently and patted her cheek. "Life is never fair, hun." My parents and I never really saw eye to eye, and even though I used to think I could get by without them, I realized how much I did need them once we'd stopped any contact whatsoever.

"I guess." She shrugged. "So you got grounded, you said?"

* * *

_"Where you been all weekend?" Evie asked, catching up with me in the hallway. "I tried calling and everything."_

_I stopped and faced her. The weekend had been nothing but yelling and screaming and crying for me. I was confined to my room except for meals and other necessities, and every time I faced my parents, I felt like they were burning holes into the side of my head. _

_"Soda didn't tell you?" I responded absently. _

_She put her hand on my arm. "I haven't seen him all weekend. Steve said he stayed away this weekend." She looked left, then right, and then pulled me aside to some lockers. "What happened? Your parents nearly flipped shit on Friday when they called my house. Even my brothers were starting to get worried."_

_I bit my lip. "Steve didn't see him?" _

_Evie shook her head. "Naw, he saw him for a few minutes, but said Soda didn't really say much. He said he was acting real weird."_

_I bit my lip again. "Evie," I said quietly, looking at her with pleading eyes, "my parents think something happened between me and Soda Friday night."_

_Her eyes lit up. "_Did_ something happen?"_

_I blushed. I didn't even know. We'd gone farther than we ever had, than_ I_ had ever had, but nothing had actually happened. Well, I mean, we didn't go all the way, anyway. "Um, well."_

_She squealed, then said—rather loudly, might I add—"You went all the way with Sod—"_

_I clapped a hand over her mouth, blushing furiously as some senior boys walked by, smirking. _

_Evie removed my hand from her face and glared at the boys. "Wipe the smirks off your faces and beat feet, dipsticks."_

_I looked at her incredulously. "They wouldn't be smirking if you hadn't _yelled it_ so the whole school could_ hear_ it."_

_She smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "So did you? I mean you guys do love each other and all."_

_I looked up from where my hands were fiddling with my blouse. "Are we supposed to?"_

_She looked at me like it was kind of obvious. "If you really love him. I mean, you don't _have_ to, but if you guys are in _love_ …"_

_She had a point. We were in love, and that's why I was willing to go so far with him Friday. Right? Right. Yeah. I took a reassuring breath. "I think …"_

_"You think?" she questioned._

_"Okay, we were_ headed _in that direction," I confessed. "I mean, I could feel … _him_ … against me, and I, uh …"_

_She smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Him?" She giggled at my expense. "Well, if you were making out with him …"_

_"Evie …" I whispered, "you know what I mean."_

_She laughed. "No, I'm not sure I do." _

_I narrowed my eyes at her. She knew what I meant, but she was gonna drag it out until I actually said it aloud. "His, well … Evie, come on … you know what I mean. His …"_

_"Oh my _God!_" she exclaimed, placing her hands on my shoulders. "Just say it with me. His _cock._"_

_I turned bright red as soon as she said it. For one, I wasn't used to talking like that, and two, the people whose lockers we were standing in front of had arrived and were giving us the nastiest looks in the world. Those were the kind of Socs that gave Socs the stuck up reputation to begin with. _

_Evie rolled her eyes at them and pulled me along. "Okay," she said, her voice quieter than before, "so you and Prince Charming almost went all the way. What stopped you?"_

_"I saw the time."_

_"So?"_

_"It was one-thirty in the morning, Evie. We fell asleep before and were going to check the time when we woke up, but, um, we got a little side-tracked."_

_"And that's when you touched his cock," she added, obviously having too much fun with that bit of information._

_I rolled my eyes. "Yes. Will you get over that already?"_

_"I _can't!" she squealed, hugging my arm._ "Sandy, you don't _do_ this sort of stuff. Not in all the years that I've known you."_

_I shrugged. "Yeah, but look where it got me." I stopped, taking a quivering breath. "My parents think I'm a whore. That's all I heard all weekend, all because we slept past curfew and our clothes got messed up."_

_She pulled me into a hug, the smile immediately dropping from her face. "They called you a whore?" she whispered, and I nodded. "Sandy, you are far from that. You are so far far away from that."_

_I wanted to cry, and could even feel the tears starting to well up, but I swallowed them back and pushed my hair out of my face. "I really hate them sometimes."_

_Evie pulled away, rubbing my arms up and down, and gave me a sympathetic look as Steve made his way over. "What's going on?" he asked and placed an arm around each of us. _

_Evie intertwined her fingers with his and gave a small smile. "Don't worry about it."_

_He looked from her to me, and shrugged, kissing her cheek and giving me a small squeeze.

* * *

_

"I thought you said that love wasn't like that. You're always telling me to watch how I make myself out to boys, and then there you are, accepting Evie's advice like it's God's law or something."

I patted Jamie's knee. "Exactly. Now shush."

* * *

_When lunch came around, I was looking forward to hopping in Steve's car and heading over to the DX for a soda. And my Soda, of course. He'd sped away from my house like the devil was after him Friday night, and I don't know if I'd ever seen him so mad. So getting to see him was bound to make us both a little happier, I figured._

_"Evie," I called, smiling, "wait up!" I slammed my locker shut and started heading after her. She was laughing at the bickering going on between Two-Bit and Steve, and I couldn't help but laugh as well. Steve needed to learn to give up when it came to Two-Bit Mathews._

_I caught up with Evie and linked my arm with hers, nodding hello's to the boys. _

_Two-Bit tipped an imaginary hat at me. "Well, howdy there, Miss Sandy. You're lookin' lovely today."_

_Evie lifted her chin up and smiled proudly. "Shoot, she looks lovely everyday."_

_I blushed, enjoying the compliments. "So we going or what?"_

_"Sure are, I'm just about starved," Two-Bit said and offered his arm to Steve. "Since the girls are escorting each other, may I escort you, my surliness?" He bowed slightly then, and Steve pushed him away, cracking a grin. _

_"No, but you can escort your brain to an institution."_

_Evie and I laughed, but it was short lived when Madame stepped out of her classroom, and cleared her throat loudly. "Sandy, do you think I could talk to you for a few minutes?"_

_I looked at Madame skeptically, then back at the others. "Um, sure," I said and unlinked my arm from Evie's, heading towards Madame as the others started walking away._

_"We'll wait for you," Evie called from down the hall, to which I heard Two-Bit ask, "We will?" I laughed as Evie slapped him in the stomach and wrapped an arm around Steve's waist. _

_I took one last look as they rounded the corner and then followed Madame into her classroom. Michael was sitting on one of the desks._

_She sat down at her desk and sighed, folding her hands over one another. "Have a seat if you'd like, dear."_

_I hesitantly sat on the desk behind me, eying Michael suspiciously. "What's this about?"_

_She looked at her gradebook, smoothing the pages out. "Michael here is a new student, but frankly, he's got the best grade in the class, whereas you, dear, have the worst, and this is your second year in French with me. If it weren't for the fact that Michael was new, he'd be in the appropriate class, being challenged."_

_What was this? Make-Sandy-feel-inadequate week? Everyone was really celebrating if it was. _

_"That being said, I want Michael to tutor you."_

_My jaw dropped. "B-but ... I have a C in this class."_

_"Your mother asked me to be fair ..."_

_I wanted to cry. My mother? Really? Wasn't it bad enough that her and Daddy had labeled me as a whore and grounded me for something that didn't even happen yet? It wasn't my fault they highly believed in traditionalist conservatism. Now they were taking away the only way I was ever going to pass French?_

_"... Michael agreed to help you out."_

_I snapped back to reality. I hadn't heard a word she had said. "Why's it gotta be Michael?" I asked and then immediately regretted it. That wasn't supposed to come out of my mouth._

_Madame narrowed her eyes. "You will accept who your tutor is, Sandra, and you will pass this class with his help whether you like it or not."_

_I sighed. "Fine..." I said, pouting. _

_She rifled through some papers on her desk and frowned. "You two can work out a tutoring schedule while I go xerox something. I want to give you some extra credit, Sandy, and you two can start on it as soon as I make a copy." _

_Michael looked at me, giving a small, sympathetic smile. "I know you probably aren't talking to me after Friday, but I'm sorry." He held out his hand. "Truce?"_

_I looked from him to his hand, not sure if I should take it. I bit my lip. Part of me wanted to take all my frustrations out on him, and another part of me wanted to just forget there was ever any tension between us and work to pass this class without anymore difficulties than I already had._

_"Well...?" he prompted._

_I rolled my eyes and took his hand. "Yeah, fine. It's not like I need anymore drama right now."_

_He smiled, and I think I figured out why Patty liked him so much. Maybe he and I had just started off on the wrong foot. I mean, the day we met, I'd been fighting with Sodapop, and the two of us kind of took our anger out on Micheal. _

_"Good," he said, nodding. "So when and where you wanna do this tutoring thing?"_

_I bit my lip. Lunch would be the only time to see Soda for a while since I was grounded for Lord knows how long from him, and I wasn't about to give that up. And maybe if I started bringing another boy around, my parents would start to care less about how serious I was about Soda. And if that didn't happen, maybe the fact that I was befriending "yet another" boy would act as a silent revenge seeing as I had no choice but to do this tutoring thing. After all, Mama was the one who wanted me to pass without Madame's special curve._

"_We could do it after school at my house," I suggested reluctantly. Maybe I didn't want him coming around my house. Maybe I could just take the fail and somehow manage to pass the course when I took it again next year. God, I didn't even know what I wanted._

_He nodded and chuckled quietly to himself. "Man, your boyfriend is gonna go apeshit over this."

* * *

_

"_Did_ Soda go apeshit?" Jamie asked. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Hey," she defended, "I'm just repeating what Michael said." We shared a chuckle. "So what happened? Did you get to see Soda during lunch?"

I shook my head. "No. Michael and I worked out the tutoring, and then he helped me with the extra credit until lunch ended."

"And the others?"

"Evie stopped by to see what was going on, and they went without me."

"So did you ever get to see Soda?"

I nodded. "I did. He stopped by around dinnertime."

* * *

_I heard a tap against my window and looked up. Nothing was there, so I shrugged it off as the wind making the tree branches sway, and turned back to my French numbers. I figured I should at least get them down before I started on anything else._

"_Un," I said quietly, hoping I was pronouncing it correctly._

_Tap._

_I looked up again. The tree branches were moving, but it didn't look like it was from the wind. I placed the book to the side of me and got up, walking over to the window. The rain had finally stopped, but the tree was still dripping and drops of water were flying everywhere. I slid it open and looked down to see Soda climbing up the tree like he was a monkey or something, soaked to the bone._

_I smiled and waited for him to make it the branch closest to my window before backing away and letting him climb in ungracefully. Somehow he managed to not make a huge thud and gave a small smile. _

"_Did you walk here?" I whispered._

_He nodded sheepishly. "Darry and Ponyboy were fighting when I got home. I didn't even go inside."_

"_What were they fighting about?"_

_He sat down on the bed and ran his hands through his wet hair. "I don't know. Everything." I sat down next to him and leaned my head on his shoulder. "It's just been a shitty weekend." He looked at me. "I heard yours wasn't much better."_

_I lifted my head a bit, looking at him, confused. _

"_Evie told me at lunch," he explained. "I'm sorry, baby, it's my fault. I thought about doing this all weekend. I should have. I should have just left."_

_I started scratching his arm soothingly. "What happened?"_

"_Well, you know how the room was empty Friday night? Like how Pony wasn't there?" _

_I nodded. I don't think I was going to forget anytime soon._

"_That's 'cause he wasn't even home."_

"_Where was he?"_

"_Out drinking somewhere. I came home and Darry shot up, asked me where I had been, and started getting on my case about it, and then Ponyboy stumbled in, three sheets to the wind."_

_I frowned. Ponyboy didn't go out and get drunk. None of the Curtis boys did._

_Soda shrugged. "He puked, then I ran him to the bathroom and told Darry to can it because he wouldn't remember it in the morning anyway. They've been fighting since Ponyboy woke up Saturday."_

"_Soda …" I didn't know what to say. I'd dealt with Evie's siblings getting soused beyond belief, but they were all older, and it happened with them. Ponyboy was a thirteen-year-old kid … _

"_I visited my parent's graves yesterday," Soda said randomly. "I was headed this way, too, but I dunno. It was the middle of the night, and I figured you were sleeping anyway, so I turned down a street and found myself at the cemetery." He looked up at me. "You think I was meant to go there or something?"_

_I smiled, still scratching his arm. "Maybe."_

_He gave a small smile, turning his head to look at me. I leaned in, pressing my lips against his. _

"_Sandra," my father called from downstairs, and I pulled away quickly. "We're eating. Get down here now."_

_Soda sighed, kissing me one last time. "Go on. I'll sneak back out while you're all sitting down."_

"_I love you," I whispered, squeezing out into the hallway as he made his way to the window._

_He grinned. "I love you too."_

* * *

"I'm starting to get why Evie calls him Prince Charming."

* * *

**I appreciate any form of reviews—especially constructive criticism if you have it. :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Yeah, I know, it's been months and months. I apologize, I really do. Hopefully ya'll are still interested. I promise the next update won't take as long. I even have a bit written. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _The Outsiders_, nor do I own "I'm Gonna Love You, Too" by Buddy Holly.

* * *

**

I raised an eyebrow at her. "You realize that nickname was created to mock him, right?"

Jamie chuckled. "It still suits him though," she said and paused. "So what was going on at Soda's?"

* * *

_About two weeks later, Soda and I were outside his house, goofing off, shoes discarded in the grass and the radio going in the background, drowning out noises from inside. I was trying to step on his toes, and he was jumping away, holding my hands to keep me at a distance. "Hah!" I squealed, my toes slipping off his sock-covered feet. _

"_You ain't gonna be able to," he assured me, pushing our palms together and consequently, me farther away. It was a reverse tug of war, each of us pushing rather than pulling, and laughing rather than grunting as our muscles strained in the struggle. _

_I brought his hands back and placed them on my hips, bringing him to me. I kissed him, teasing him a little bit, and rubbed my nose against his as I stepped on his toes. His hands tightened around my sides, and he half-lifted, half-pushed me off his toes. "Oh no," he said, "you can't get away with that, you little cheater."_

_I stuck my tongue out at him, and he stuck his right back out, grabbing my wrists playfully and bringing me to him. I squealed. "I missed you."_

_He kissed me quickly and then twirled me randomly to the music playing out the radio inside his house. "I missed you, too, Darlin'."_

_I let go of his hand and walked to the truck, glancing back at him with a smile. It was Monday night just after dinnertime, and I was due home in an hour. My parents thought I was still at Michael's, studying for our French quiz, but I had ditched early, telling him that my parents wanted me home early to babysit Linda, and met Soda at the corner instead. _

_The twang of an electric guitar sounded from the radio as I stepped on the bumper of Darry's truck and hopped onto the hood._

_My parents thought I was eating at Michael's, but well, what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them, and sitting through dinner with Soda and his brothers was punishment enough, I thought. It was so awkward. Soda had told me that Darry and Pony weren't getting along, but boy howdy, I didn't think it was _that_ bad. _

_Soda grabbed my hand and kissed it, hopping onto the hood of the truck next to me. He wiggled in his seat, dancing along with Buddy Holly's voice. "Af-ter allll anotherfella took ya! But I still, I can't overlook ya!"_

_I laughed at him. "Oh, you butchered it!" I exclaimed and buried my face in my hands, still laughing. _

_He laughed with me, banging his stocking feet against the truck bashfully. "What, you don't think I'm gonna be the new Buddy Holly?" he teased, nuzzling his nose against my neck and kissing my shoulder where my sweater had slipped a bit. _

_I rested one hand on his leg and pressed the other to my mouth, still giggling. "I think your kid brother was right. You've been hanging with Two-Bit too much." He pulled away, cocking an eyebrow at me. I nodded confidently. "Yep. You've definitely been hangin' around him too much."_

"_Yeah?" he asked, intertwining his fingers with mine, and cupping my face with his free hand. _

_His lips were almost against mine; I could feel the warmth of his breath against my lips and taste its sweetness from the pepsi he'd drank not too long ago. "Yep."_

"_You gonna do anything about it?"_

_I shook my head slowing, grinning, and pressed my lips against his. His hand tightened somewhat, moving towards the back of my head, his fingers running through my hair. He let go of my hand and placed it on my waist as my fingernails dug into the denim of his jeans; he kissed me harder. _

_The sound of the door slamming open broke us apart. "Dammit, Pony," Darry yelled suddenly, "get back in here!" Soda sighed, leaning his forehead on my shoulder before turning to face the house._

"_Why, so you can yell at me some more?" Pony retorted and leaned against the porch, lighting up. _

_I swear I saw Darry's veins bulge before he just about exploded at the kid. "You call _that_ yelling?! 'Cause I can show you yelling!" _

_Ponyboy rolled his eyes and turned to face Darry. "Don't bother," he said, "you already are!"_

_Soda grabbed my hand and together we hopped off the truck. He didn't look at me or anyone else. He just looked straight ahead, face blank, eyes unblinking as he led me down the road, away from the house. "I'm really getting sick of them fighting," he muttered and dropped my hand, walking a few steps ahead of me. _

_We kept walking, Soda occasionally muttering things to himself, until Soda reached the streetlight at the corner. I stopped, watching cautiously as he placed his hands against the pole and smacked his head against it a bit, like he wanted to feel something other than all the stress he had. _

_I just stood by a parked car, one foot crossed over the next and my hands crossed behind my back. Soda's face grimaced in pain and he lightly punched the pole one more time before taking a few steps back and slapping his pockets feverishly. We made eye contact. _

"_I need a cigarette," he said, and looked around. I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it as he noticed a car with the windows rolled down and headed for it. _

"_Soda. What are you doing?"_

_He stuck his head in the car suddenly, fumbling inside it, and I saw a slight flash of orange through the windows. Soda backed out and straightened, cigarette dangling between his lips. He coughed, smoke coming out in short, quick puffs.

* * *

_

Jamie's eyes lit up in amused confusion. "Did he just steal only one cigarette from that guy's car?"

I nodded. The time's had changed it seemed. Nowadays people locked their car doors in their own garages, god forbid someone reminiscent of Sodapop Curtis wanted something as simple as a cigarette. Of course, hoodlums of today seemed a lot more threatening than those of the past, of my past.

* * *

_He rubbed at his one eye. "It's jus' gettin' outta hand, ya know?" His voice was shaking as he spoke, and he took a drag. "It's like I'm being tugged in two directions. You saw it at dinner; they keep making me choose sides, even with guests around. I can't take it!"_

_He was shaking; I could see it even as the sun faded. So I walked over to him and took his free hand, placing it on the small of my back as I rose to my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around him. "Hey," I whispered, "don't let 'em rip you apart. They're just going through a rough patch. It'll be okay."_

_He squeezed me tight, burying his face into the nape of my neck. "I know. It's just frustrating. They used to get along fine, and then that stupid fuckin' accident happened an' everything changed." I stroked the back of his neck, listening to him. "I feel like the minute things start t'feel almost normal again, they start up, or the fuckin' state decides to come for a visit and we've automatically gotta act like we're Socs or somethin'. That ain't us. It ain't fair. Darry does a damn good job, but God fuckin' forbid if there's a speck of dust anywhere."_

"_I know. It's not fair. It's not fair at all." We took a few steps back together, ending up with Soda's back to the streetlight._

_He squeezed tighter, and then let go a bit, taking another drag on the cigarette, making a face as he swallowed spit and then coughed. "It's been a while since I smoked, too," he added with a slight grin, his usual personality starting to shine through again. _

_I grinned and fingered the collar of his shirt, playing with the buttons as he blew a puff of smoke to the side, finishing off his cigarette. "Golly, but I missed you." He pulled me into him again, rubbing his thumbs against the small of my back. "Why haven't I seen you in so long?"_

_I sighed happily; the smell of cigarette smoke still in the air mixed with his cologne made for a good combination. He kissed my shoulder, then made his way up my neck to my jaw line. "'Cause you're always working, and I'm always studying." I left out that I had been grounded, knowing he knew, but I didn't want to think about that night when we'd showed up back at my place. I didn't want to ruin the moment. _

_Soda pulled away a little, resting his forehead against mine. "Let's do something this weekend, then," he suggested and scrunched his face, mocking my own scrunched face. "I wanna see you, _kiss _you, dance with you …" he said, swaying his hips a little as he closed his eyes and hummed ever so slightly. _

_I kissed him, pressing my body against his as we danced, under a streetlight in the dusk. "There is that dance at school you said you'd take me to about a month ago. Remember? The Spring Fling?"_

"_Mhmm, Friday, right?" His voice was sleepy-like, as if he was suddenly real tired. I nodded and he opened his eyes, smiling and rubbing his nose against mine. "It's a date."_

_I scrunched my face again. "It was already a date," I said, and kissed him.

* * *

_

"You sure you aren't making any of this up, Sandy?" Jamie giggled, her eyebrows raised suspiciously.

I smiled knowingly. "I'm sure I'm not."

She twirled her long ponytail with her fingers, thinking. "You should write this all down or something," she said seriously. "Get it published. I know a bunch of people who would eat this story up."

I chuckled, shaking my head at her. "I don't know about that. I've never been much of a writer."

She shrugged. "It was just a suggestion. Anyway, so there was a dance?"

* * *

"_I want you to call me when you get to Evie's after the dance later."_

_I let out an exasperated sigh, and smoothed out my dress one last time before covering it with one of those old dry cleaner bags. "Why though? We're probably going to get back late after the dance. You know everyone always heads to the diners after the dances."_

_She handed me my heels for later. The dance was tonight and I was going to get ready at Evie's after school. "I don't care what the other kids do," Mama insisted sternly and plucked the dress off the closet rack. I followed her downstairs. "After what happened with Soda last time you saw him … well, you don't need to be out later than midnight."_

_I narrowed my eyes and huffed in protest. "Nothing happened, Mama! I told you that already!"_

_Dad walked past, Linda balanced on his hip. "Sandy, you're lucky we're letting you go with that boy. Don't argue. I know what I saw, and I ain't pleased about. You're lucky the Lord is forgiving." He stopped at Linda's high chair, sitting her in it. "Besides, there's no reason that two sixteen year old girls need to be running around at all hours of the night with a couple of hoods."_

"_They're not—" I started to protest but was interrupted by a horn outside. Evie and her brother, Billy, were picking me up for school today so I wouldn't have to lug my dress around all day, or have to come back home for it. _

"_Listen, Sandy, you either get back to Evie's for the night and call, or you can forget ever seeing that boy ever again."_

_Rolling my eyes, I gave up and grabbed my stuff, taking the dress from my mother. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon," I said as I walked out the door and headed for the car. _

_The door swung open after me. "Midnight! Don't forget!" Mama called to me. I waved her off and opened the back door. _

_As soon as I closed the door, Billy gunned it, and Evie slammed back into her seat as she waved goodbye to my mother. She turned around to face me. "What about midnight?"_

_I sighed. "My parents want us back at your place by midnight tonight. I gotta call them and everything."_

_Evie made a face. "Well, I guess that means no diner afterwards … "_

_I crossed my arms and huffed. "Yeah, and no alone time after that, either."_

_Billy snorted suddenly and coolly ran a hand through his hair. "Man, you two are dumb." _

_Evie narrowed her eyes at him as he turned a corner a little too quickly. "Oh yeah? Well what do you propose we do, since you're apparently so you're apparently so well studied on the subject? You know how strict her parents can be."_

_He smirked. It was rare that he had the upper hand with Evie. "Dad's took the overnight for a coworker tonight, which means it's our word only. No sneaking out involved. 'Sides, do ya'll really want to stay in your dresses all night? I hate bein' all dressed up."_

_Evie rolled her eyes. "That's 'cause you're a pig," she muttered and turned back around. Billy had a point though. We could get something to eat or hang out back at Evie's until about midnight, call, and then go out again. It could work. It could work well.

* * *

_

Jamie's eyes lit up. "Oooh, drama! I bet you got caught, didn't you?"

* * *

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